


Song of the Caged Bird

by AvengingPhoenix



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Assassin's Creed, DCU, The Flash (TV 2014), teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fairytales galore, I don't know what else to tag this as..., M/M, Multi, lots of crazyness will happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-09 03:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3234746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvengingPhoenix/pseuds/AvengingPhoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For centuries the supernatural world has lived in balance with the human world and the need for the House of Red has faded. Now, the need for Reds will arise. Women descended from Little Red Riding Hood will be awakened. Are they up to the challenge? What happens when meta humans throw the proverbial wrench in the delicate balance of the world? Two Reds in particular will rise to the challenge and help restore order to the chaos of the world.<br/>The biggest question is...Can they do it alone?<br/>Hey, wait!!! No one said anything about soul mates!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Winds of Change

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this story comes from the Song of the Caged Bird by Lindsey Stirling.  
> Oh and if there's any errors please forgive me. I've no beta reader so there's bound to be some mistakes that slip by me. Let me know what you think. :D  
> Enjoy! :)

_“I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring_

Tired eyes blinked at the computer as they scanned through the local news in Beacon Hills. Belladonna rubbed her forehead tiredly and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her other hand rubbing over her heart as it clenched painfully.

Belladonna switched to her recorded music files. It was time to go over the music that she had recorded.

No matter how hard she tried to focus, her mind drifted elsewhere. Her focus kept drifting towards the faint echo of a voice in her mind. She could feel the other person's emotions and thoughts but she couldn't hear them. It felt like every time she could finally hear them clearly she was forced underwater and couldn't hear their desperate cries.

Belladonna could feel anger, frustration, and a deep piercing sadness. Her hand unconsciously gripped her shirt, right above her heart.

She wanted nothing more in the world than to find them. She didn't necessarily believe in soul mates but she knew she was made to protect this person. How could she not think that? After spending nearly her whole life feeling and sometimes seeing things this “other half of herself” felt... How couldn't she want to be there to ensure their happiness? She’d do whatever it took to find them and make them happy. No matter the cost. She wanted them to be happy.

“Ugh...focus Belladonna. Focus, you gotta focus.” She shook her head as if the action alone would rid her of the thoughts swarming her mind.

Switching to another tab, she opened her music player and clicked on her instrumental playlist. Music began to play through the house as she wandered out of her room and into the kitchen; she knew it was a good idea to install those wireless speakers. It made listening to her music easier, so she could focus on menial tasks for the house whilst listening to her music for any errors.

Another sigh escaped her lips, ”You’ll find them one day. One day...maybe- forget it.”

She leaned her head onto the table, the cool marble felt soothing, her skin felt overheated and she felt like a stranger in her own skin.

**_‘There are no happy endings for people like you. You don’t deserve to be happy!’_ **

“She was right. I don’t deserve to be happy.” Her eyes burned as tears threatened to fall from them.

Even now her birth mother’s spiteful comments haunted her.

She headed towards the fridge to make a late night snack.

Rummaging through the fridge, she pulled out some strawberries and other fruit that she’d had bought earlier in the day. Cutting the stems from some and setting them in a strainer she ran them under the water to clean. While she let the water wash the berries she let her thoughts drift again. Automatically placing them in a bowl, she used a clean dish cloth over the bowl and tipped it so any excess water would drain.

She was restless but most of all agitated. That aching for, for something set upon her like vultures on a rotting carcass.

She stared at the bowl of fruit before her as she tossed the towel aside.

She jumped as a thunk echoed through the kitchen. Looking to the window she laughed at herself as a tree branch struck the window again. The wind outside was becoming stronger.

Belladonna made her way to the window, pulling it up all the way. Taking a deep breath through her nose her senses were overwhelmed. Petrichor...it was going to rain soon.

**Thwack!**

Her hand closed around the branch as the wind forced it forward, narrowly missing her face by an inch. She sighed, let go of the branch and quickly closed the window.

Heading to the fridge she pulled out a can of whip cream, and sprayed some on her fruit. Shrugging she sprayed some in her mouth as well. Tossing it back into the fridge and closing the door with her foot he slid forward on her socks, coming to a stop as she slammed into the counter. Rummaging through the drawer she pulled out a spoon and set it into the bowl.

Leaning against the kitchen island, she absently spooned a mouthful of cream covered berries and shoved it into her mouth.

She checked her phone, scrolling through her messages. She’d been hoping that her dad or Miss. McCall had called or texted her back. The bright screen showed no new messages of any sort. They were probably busy, it was alright she could call again tomorrow.

She could hardly blame them, honestly, they probably didn't recognize her number. Considering she dropped off the face of the planet for the past eight years, well, anyone would be forgotten.

Sighing, she ate the rest of the berries and placed the plate in the sink. Padding over to the fridge she pulled out the organic milk, and poured herself a glass, topping it off with a straw. Putting the milk away she scratched her brow, then looked around her new home.

Two boxes sat on the kitchen floor. Her entire life and all she had to show for it were two measly boxes. Her entire life and she only ever needed two boxes.

_‘What a joke...’_ Hazel eyes blinked at the boxes, a deep sadness filling their depths.

Belladonna shuddered as she felt a surge of magic run through her, it coursed through her body, overwhelming her senses. This heavy, suffocating feeling had been pressing against her all week. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. Something big was going to happen and she wouldn't be able to stop it.

The very essence of magic that always flows through the earth was becoming restless.

_‘The north wind is coming... it’s coming to get you.’_ Another violent shudder coursed through her body as the parting words of her grandmother echoed through her mind. _‘You need to be ready. Nothing will be the same.’_

Her shoulders slumped as she leaned against the counter, blinking away tears. ”When did things go so wrong?”

_‘Things went wrong the day you left Beacon Hills...’_ A voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Drawing a shaky breath she straightened up and set the cup into the sink. She made her way back to her room, sat down at her laptop cracking her fingers as she settled in for the night.

_‘Time to get some work done.’_ She renewed her search through the local news pages.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 

Belladonna had heard about the recent killings and recognized the pattern in the murders. It wasn’t difficult, if you knew what you were looking at. Animal attack, possibly a bear or cougar, victim’s body was pretty banged up or unrecognizable. And by banged up she meant mauled, maimed, mutilated, or any other m word that means too gross to talk about in the paper.

‘Werewolves. It’s been too long since Beacon Hills had someone around to protect it.’

Allowing her thoughts return to what she had planned for tomorrow, her head fell back and she stared blankly at the ceiling. She knew she had to open the bakery soon. There were bills to pay.

A small frustrated sound escaped her as she tensed up.

She wasn't used to sticking in one place for long and just knowing she was staying in one place for a while was making her feel antsy.

She knew she couldn't leave, she wouldn't. She wanted to be as close to her family and as far away from her birth family as she could get. She had never gotten along with her bio family and they resented her for it. They hated that she had been so different. She wasn't pretty, popular, or girly. According to them she wasn't normal, they called her a freak. Whatever normal meant. She thought she was normal enough.

‘I mean, sure, if you forget about the supernatural part of my life. I’m good with artsy things, sure I’m not the smartest person anyone will ever meet. Other girls are like me, I’m definitely not the only one. Sure, I tend to love to deal with bizarre things...like ghosts, werewolves, and wendigos.’

“Oh my.” She laughed at herself and then immediately sobered. “But why did they hate me so much?”

Don’t get her wrong. It’s not that she hated her family... It’s just that when it came to them, she didn't feel anything. They had made her life hell ever since she could remember.

Her mother had always yelled at her about how ugly and fat she was, how she was never pretty enough. At first her father had defended her, albeit halfheartedly. After a while though, he just didn't care enough to keep up his charade. He’d said that Belladonna just had to deal with what her mother said. That everything that her mother had ever said was true.

Her sisters had always said that the fights were her fault because she always had to go and provoke their mother.

Was defending yourself when you were being insulted and physically attacked considered provocation? She didn't think so.

Her siblings thought she deserved everything that her parents did to her. Maybe she did...maybe she didn't. She couldn't tell anymore.

There was one thing she was sure about, she’d never become a mother. She was too scared of fucking that up. She didn't want to have kids and make them miserable like hers did to her.

In all honesty she never knew why her parents hated her. It wasn't until later on in life that she learned exactly why they all hated her. The secret of why she was different from regular people. A secret she would have been happier remaining ignorant of. A secret she sometimes wished she never had to keep.

Something so old, that it dated back so far down the family line that the exact dates were lost.

Belladonna ran a hand through her hair, her body felt weighed down by the weight of her memories. Her grandmother always said she was young in body but old in spirit and in mind.

If ordinary people suffered even a fraction of what she had suffered...well, it’s a thought best left alone.

The only reason she had been able to get out of that hellish place was her uncle.

Her uncle had figured out what her parents had been doing when he had visited her family and she was nowhere to be found. It took him time but he eventually tracked her down. When he found her she was a mess, both physically and mentally. He helped her get away from them by convincing her parents to give him custody. And by convincing she means demanding they let her go and blackmailing them.

‘No one can convince me that Papa can’t get shit done if someone provokes him enough.’ A small quirk of her lips was the only indication of her amusement.

He had told them if they didn't leave her alone and give him custody, he would turn them in. He was going to turn them in, but she had begged him not to. She just wanted to get away from them.

The day he took her home to Beacon Hills had been the greatest day of her life, it was a day she’d never forget. The second she stepped into her new home in the Stilinski household... it felt as if a large weight had been removed from her, then, small shoulders.

It took a lot just to forgive her old family, but she couldn't hold onto that pain; there was too much anger. She felt like she was suffocating in it, in the anger and pain. So she forgave them. Not for their sake but for herself. It had been one of the hardest things she had ever had to do.

Her uncle turned father had been a godsend. She didn't know how she would have survived without him. Don’t get her started on her aunt, she was an angel, she took care of Belladonna like she’d been her daughter. And for once in her life she felt like she had a real family.

The scars healed with time and patience. Her newly appointed mother and father had helped heal a lot of those wounds. Wounds that were both physical and emotional. In time she learned to simply smile again. They both loved her and it was all she could have ever hoped for.

In a few short years her life would be turned upside down. For the better.

When she learned that her mother was pregnant, she had feared things would change and that her parents wouldn't want her anymore. She didn't count on completely adoring her new baby brother. The day Stiles was born was forever seared into her memory, like a brand on a cattle.

She wouldn't forget the way her mom smiled at her and beckoned her over to hold the screeching newborn. At the age of ten, she held Stiles in her arms and it felt as if everything in the universe fell into place as tiny whiskey brown eyes blinked up at her; and a tiny chubby hand reached out and tugged at a lock of her hair.

It was at that moment that she knew she’d do anything for her newly formed family, even if it meant giving up her own life to ensure theirs. Too bad things hadn't stayed that way.

* * *

 

_Sixteen year old Belladonna stared in horror as the piercing shriek of her aunt’s heart monitor flat lined, nurses and a doctor ran in and began the process of reviving her. Pulling Stiles into her arms she covered his ears as he began to cry._

_“_ _Daddy? Where’s daddy...I WANT DADDY!” Stiles cried out._

_She heard the doctor shout ‘clear’ and the whine of the shock paddles filled the air._

_Her heart dropped to her stomach. Somehow, someway...she knew her Mom was gone. Somehow, she knew she **couldn't** be saved and that her mom was gone._

_Stiles turned in her arms and buried his face in her stomach, clinging to her as if his own life depended on it. She covered his ears with her hands, trying to block out the sound._

_It felt like hours had passed by the time the doctor stepped out of the room; a sad, tight smile directed towards the teen and toddler. The doctor ran a hand through his graying hair._

_It wasn't a very reassuring smile, if you asked her._

_Belladonna's gaze flicked towards Melissa who stood behind the doctor. Melissa only sobbed into her hand, tears running down her face._

_“Belladonna, whe-”_

_“_ _My dad’s not here.”_

_“I’m sorry...” The doctor shifted uncomfortably against the intensity of her stare._

_“What happened to my mom?”_

_The doctor’s hands clasped her shoulders in a gentle squeeze._ _“_ _I’m sorry, we did everything we could...”_

_Everything else the doctor said was replaced by the roaring sound that filled her ears._ _She tightened her hold on Stiles, his cries filling the air. She could faintly feel Melissa's arms wrapping around her._ _It was with those words the ground seemed to fall out from under her._

_The flat line of the heart monitor suddenly cut out._

* * *

 

_Shortly after her mom’s death, things became... difficult, to say the least. The combined financial stress became too much for her dad to handle alone._

_With two children that required medicine and one needing to see a therapist because of past abuse, re_ _gular bills, and the hospital bills seemed to stack up on Raymond Stilinski. He soon turned to alcohol, finding comfort in the burn of whiskey and any other d_ _rink he could get his hands on. Any money that they had was quickly spent on more alcohol or food._

_Belladonna knew what needed to be done. So as soon as she got out of school, she headed to the elementary school to pick up Stiles. Once they got home, she made him dinner as he did his home work. His little legs kicking out as he sat on the tall bar stool in the kitchen._

_After dinner, she bathed Stiles, laughing as he splashed water at her. Once his bath was finished, she got him dressed and into bed. She gently tucked him in and read him some stories from their mother’s fairy tale book. It was an ancient looking, old sort of book. The cover simply reading ”Once Upon a Time” in an elaborate script. She read him the story of Cinderella, the little girl that would play in the fireplace that grew into a young woman. Well, everyone knows the rest of the story._

_S_ _he placed a gentle kiss on Stiles’ forehead, fingers running through his fluffy brown hair. She stayed until his eyes fluttered shut and his breathing evened out._

_“Goodnight little brother.” She gently closed the door and started on her warming up her dad’s dinner._

_Once that was done...all that was left was to wait._

_As soon as her dad got home from work he headed straight to the study. Straight to his alcohol._

_He instead came face to face with his daughter. She stood in front of the door of the study, arms crossed and a fierce look set on her face._

_“Move, Belladonna. I need to get to work.”_

_“No.” She crossed her arms, a scowl set on her face._

_“What?” He drew back, eyes blazing in anger._

_“I said no.”_

_“_ _Belladonna, now’s not the ti-”_

_“No! You always go in there and drink that vile stuff and you end up acting like they did!”_

_Raymond gaped, heart clenching at his daughter's words._

_“No more drinking, Stiles needs his dad! Not an angry drunk.” Belladonna hissed, trying to keep her voice down._

_She didn't want to wake Stiles. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to stop the tears before they could fall. She had to be strong, for Stiles’ sake. And for her father’s. She couldn't let things continue the way they were._

_Someone had to keep their family together._

_Raymond knelt down in front of Belladonna, tears trailing down his face. Throwing his arms around her, he held her tightly. She had grown up too fast and was already wise beyond her years. It hurt to know that he had frightened her._

_“I'm leaving.”_

_"What?! No, I’m sorry. I’ll stop drinking. Everything’s going to be okay.” He panicked at the thought of Belladonna leaving._

_“No, I have to go. There’s no money. Medicine costs too much...I've seen the bills. Papa... It’s better this way, I know you want to take care of me and let me be a kid but we need to take care of Stiles. He needs you more than I do right now. He’s scared he’s going to lose you too.”_

_“_ _You've been looking through my mail?" He sighed, of course she would. "Still. I- I- I can’t let you do that.”_

_“You can and you will. I’ll be fine, I can take care of myself. You need to take care of Stiles.”_

_Taking a deep breath she steeled herself, this was too important to drop._ _She would not be swayed. She made a promise the day Stiles was born, she’d protect her family. No matter the cost. “_

_Stiles needs to come first. Before me or anyone else. Stiles comes first. No matter what.”_

_“What about you?”_

_“I talked to grandmere Annette. I’ll be staying with her.”_

_It was with those words that the Deputies world seemed to shatter all over again._

* * *

 

A week after her talk with her dad, Belladonna found herself staring at the old, wrinkled face of her grandmother.

The hag looked like she'd turn to dust at the slightest breeze.

_‘Frick...’_

The old woman frowned at Belladonna as the teenager began to fidget under the force of her glare.

"Cease your fidgeting, brat." Annette snapped.

Belladonna immediately straightened her stance, tilting her chin up in defiance.

Belladonna looked back at her dad who stood on the porch and up at Stiles, who looked down at her from his bedroom window. He was crying and his screams could be heard from where she stood, the thumps of his tiny fists striking the window making her flinch. She gave them one last wave and the brightest smile she could muster. She couldn’t turn back now, there was too much at stake.

“Get in the car, brat!”

“I’m going! Give me a sec. Geez...”

Sliding into the black vehicle she looked back at the Stilinski home. Tears streamed down her face as they began to drive away. Her home becoming smaller as they gained distance.

“Bye...” She sat in silence, staring out the window trying not to cry.

It’d be sixteen long years before she ever stepped foot in Beacon Hills again.

* * *

 

No one else knew what had happened to her; she had sworn her dad to secrecy. She told him to tell everyone that she was going to a private school.

Two months after she had left Beacon Hills she officially changed her name from Atropos to Belladonna. Her dad called her Belladonna because he liked the name when he read it in the Lord of the Rings. He was sappy like that.

A small smile lit her face at the thought of her dad. She couldn't wait to see her family. She hadn't seen Stiles and Scott since they were little kids. She missed Melissa who had been like a second mother to her.

Belladonna had been around sixteen years old when she last saw them. She was planning on surprising her dad at the police station and Melissa at the hospital. Tomorrow.

She’d planned on calling them first thing in the morning, well afternoon, or whenever she felt like rolling out of bed. She’d been so swamped with moving in and setting up the bakery that she really didn't have time to do anything else.

“Ouch! Dammit!” She hopped on one foot as she clutched the other, almost dropping her laptop in the process. “It’s always the corners I have to run into.”

Rubbing her throbbing toe she sighed, she was getting restless already. Getting up she went to the window, laptop in hand and curled up on the pillows on the window seat.

She shook her head.

‘No... I have too much to do. I can’t go to them. Not yet.’ She looked out the window, towards the east, knowing that's where her so called "other half" was. 

It had never been her dream to open up a bakery. It came with the territory of being a Red. She learned to like it, dare she say she even loved it now.

It was almost too perfect when she had been scrolling through pages of storefronts that were for sale. She had searched for places in Beacon Hills just for fun and had found a three story building. She figured she could use the main level for the bakery, and use the other two as a living area since she couldn't go home.

It was a large property at least. She didn't really hesitate in purchasing the building. She had arranged everything so she could move in as soon as possible. She might have had to pay the previous owners to move out quicker but it wasn't a big deal.

All that was left were the finishing touches and Once Upon a Time would be ready to open.

She was excited...

At least that’s what she tried telling herself.

Rubbing her eyes, Belladonna shut off her computer and made her way upstairs; she yawned and almost tripped. Changing into her volleyball shorts and a long shirt, she walked into her bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

Almost tripping on her way out of the bathroom she drew the heavy curtains closed and turned off the lights. Stumbling in the dark she slipped into the king sized bed stretching out as much as she could.

Curling up she yawned again and was out cold the second her head hit the pillow.


	2. The Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title comes from the song by the same name by Regina Spektor.  
> Enjoy! :D

_“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” - Maya Angelou_

An insistent buzzing sound blared through Belladonna’ room. Sitting up, she blearily looked around. Her hair stuck out at odd angles and she rubbed the gunk off her eyes. Her hand flailed out towards the bedside table, searching for the offending noise maker. Picking up her phone she swiped her thumb across the screen.

“Hello?” She yawned as the call connected, her voice heavy with sleep.

“Hi Belladonna! Did I wake you up? I can call later.” Belladonna sat up, brow furrowing.

“Papa! It’s all good, I needed to wake up anyways. How are you?” Belladonna jumped out of bed and ran a hand through her hair trying to smooth it out from the mess it became as she slept.

Well, that had been her plan. Instead, she ended up sprawled across the floor. Her foot had tangled in the bed sheets as she leapt out of the bed. She hit the ground with a resounding thud, face first.

A small chuckle came from the other end of the phone at the commotion.

“You okay, kiddo?”

“Fi...and I’m no’ a ki’...” Her face was buried in the sheets as she fought to get untangled, she took a deep breath as she finally emerged from the tangled mess.“How are you?”

“I’m good. How have you been?”

“I've been alright, just super...um busy. You at work?” Belladonna quickly changed her clothes and walked into the bathroom to fix her hair and put on her makeup.

"Yeah, I just got into the office. Sorry I missed your call. It's been pure insanity here." Belladonna threw her long hair up into a ponytail, using her straightener to give it a slight twist at the end.

"That bad, huh?" He only hummed an affirmative.

"How’s Stiles?” Silence met her question.

_'He's hesitating... ho boy. Here we go.'_

“He’s good. Really good.” She raised a brow.

Which reminded her...

_'I need to pluck my eyebrows. Soon.'_

...And probably take her Adderall. She shook her head.

“I’m sensing a but..?” It was so quiet on his end that she double checked her phone to see if the call dropped. "And don't you lie to me and say he's fine."

_'Nope, still connected. I think.'_

Typical Stilinski behavior, hiding the truth from each other. Always lying to protect each other...or some other sort of nonsensical bs.

_‘Stilinski men always have to be too bullheaded...and far too eager to protect everyone else.'_

“You know me too well... It’s jus- I just feel like he’s hiding something from me. I don’t know what it is though. He’s been through a lot lately, there’s been so much death here, Donna. So much has happened and I feel like I’m losing him.” She sighed hearing her dad’s worry coating his voice.

“I don’t know what to do...I’ve tried-” He cut himself off and remained silent.”He’s become so distant. Scott too. Melissa’s said he’s been acting strange lately.”

“I hope they're okay.” She bit her knuckle, thumb pressing up, under her chin.”When did this all start?”

‘Please tell me I’m wrong...Please let them not be involved in all this insanity.’ She squeezed her eyes shut.

“You heard about the girl’s body in the woods?”

_‘Oh for crying out loud.’_

“Yeah..?”

“They started acting strangely the day after we found the body.”

“Would you like me to talk to them? I could try to weasel out some info for you and Melissa.”

Grabbing her keys and helmet, Belladonna headed to the garage and pulled the cover off of her Ducati Sport Classic 1000. Time to surprise her father, hopefully she could brighten up his day. Even if it was just a little bit.

“Could you? I just- He hasn't been talking to me lately, and I don’t know what to do.” Belladonna frowned, her dad seemed at a loss.

_‘Poor dad. Dammit Stiles...Please tell me you aren't involved with the supernatural.’_

“I’ll talk to him. When does school end? Okay. Got it. Yeah, love you too dad. Bye.” She put on her helmet.

She turned the keys in the ignition and the Ducati roared to life.

Belladonna pulled out of the garage, put her helmet on and began the drive towards the police station.

* * *

 

Belladonna pulled up to the police station, black motorcycle gleaming in the sunlight. The rumble of the engine filling the air. She parked the bike, cut the engine and picked up her basket full of goodies strapped to the side. She skipped into the police station. Only a few officers seemed to be in today. Making her way to the front desk she waited for the officer to finish up her phone call.

“Yeah, poor man was found on a bus, body torn up. No... he’s in the hospital right now. He might not make it. When will forensics be done? Give me a call, when they’re finished. The Sheriff wants the report as soon as possible. Thanks. You too. Bye.”

She kept her ear trained on what was being said, filing it away for future use. She’d have to sneak into the hospital.

_‘Damn.’_

Looking up, the dark skinned woman raised a brow in question. Belladonna smiled brightly in return.

“Hello.” She lifted a brow. “How can I help you?”

“Is the Sheriff here?” She had leaned over and whispered conspiratorially to the officer. “I need to talk to him.”

“Yes, he is.” She raised a brow at her, the officer’s eyes narrowing in suspicion. “What do you need?”

“I’m his daughter, Artemis. Well, it’s Belladonna now. I had it legally changed a while ago when I went turned eightee- I’m rambling. Anyways...I wanted to surprise him. He doesn’t know I’m here.” Belladonna grinned bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The officer, officer Sanchez if she remembered right, froze and stared at her. A smile broke out on her face as she seemed to recognize her. She quickly pulled Belladonna into a tight hug.

“Well, Belladonna! My, you’ve grown up! Look at you, it seemed like only yesterday when you ran around the station buck naked.” Belladonna’ face burned at the mention of her childhood shenanigans.

Jenny smiled and told her where the sheriff's office is and Belladonna was off. She made her way through the hall, keeping as quiet as she could.

Reaching her dad’s office, she resisted the urge to burst into impish giggles. Peeking into the office she could see her dad looking over some files and muttering to himself.

_‘Perfect...’_

She paused and studied his face, a small frown marred his features making him look older than he is.

Belladonna frowned, just looking at him she could see how stressed he was. Dark circles under his eyes and the stiff way that he sat screamed to her that he was stressed and wasn't getting enough sleep.

_'Time to fix that...'_

Knocking on the door Belladonna smiled, her excitement at seeing her uncle making her twitchy. She adjusted her bright red sweatshirt, trying to keep herself calm.

“Come in.” His voice was muffled by the closed door.

Opening the door, Belladonna grinned.“Hiya Sheriff! Miss me?”

Sheriff Stilinski’s head snapped up from what he was reading, eyes wide in surprise. “Belladonna! What are you doing here?”

Belladonna giggled as he dropped everything in his hands and ran out from behind the desk. He wrapped her up in a tight hug. She could feel the tension in his body easing.

“I just moved here.” He held onto her as if he was afraid she were going to disappear.

“I missed you kiddo.”

Belladonna felt like a kid again. She felt safe. He was always there to protect her. To guide her.

“I missed you too, daddy.”

“You really moved here?” He held her at arms length looking her over, as if he couldn't believe she was there.

“Yup, for now at least! It’s that three story building down at Volpe Lane, apparently it’s been for sale for a long time. Good thing too. Made it really cheap.”

“That building? I don’t think anyone’s lived there in a long time. Everyone says it’s haunted.” He rolled his eyes, he never believed in ghosts.

He smiled, hugging her again. “So...you’re here to stay?”

Belladonna forced herself to smile brightly.“..Yeah.”

“Oh, thank God.” Sheriff Stilinski held her tight and pressed a kiss to her temple.

They sat and talked for a while, just catching up and making plans. It felt as if a small weight had been lifted from her heart. For the first time in a very long time, she felt relief. No matter how small the relief.

She was home, _she was home..._

_‘If I’m home...why does it feel so wrong? It doesn't feel like home anymore.’_ She buried her face in her dad’s shoulder and breathed in his scent. _‘Why do I feel like I’m still not home?’_

Unconsciously her gaze shifted towards the east again.


	3. Double Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! :D  
> Enjoy!

_"Double, double, toil and trouble_

_Fire burn and cauldron bubble."-Double Trouble (Harry Potter version)_

Belladonna groaned, trying to shake off that feeling of wrongness that seemed to settle into her bones. Everything was supposed to be better once she got here. That aching feeling for home was supposed to go away. It only became worse, flaring to the most painful heights at the worst times.

It didn't help that once she got here, it was only to see her father suffering.

She hated seeing her dad in pain, be it physical or emotional. He seemed so lost and desperate. She gunned the engine as she hit the more abandoned part of town. A frustrated cry tore it’s way out of her throat, muffled by the helmet. She never wanted to see that look on his face again. Not if she could help it.

Turning towards the bakery she headed towards the back, opening the underground garage as she passed by. She looked around the garage and tried to shake off the frustration and pain. Her hand moved to her chest, clutching at the fabric close to her heart. She tried to even out her breathing, trying to ride out the pain.

Something was wrong.

Cutting the engine and toeing down the kickstand she pulled off her helmet and ran into the house. Heading straight for the fireplace, hand still clutched to her chest, she fought off tears. She blinked at the statues of the wolves that stood guard of the mantel of the fireplace, reaching into the mouth of the wolf on the right. Hand hitting the hidden lever at the back of the wolf’s throat she quickly pulled, twisted, and pushed the lever back.

The loud hiss of scraping stone filled the air as the fireplace began to sink into the floor, revealing a secret room behind the fireplace. Quickly darting through she let the trapdoor close behind her as the fire raised back into place.

This was one of the reasons she had come to Beacon Hills. She had a secret...a secret known to only a few and known to many.

_‘Heh...cryptic and it makes no sense. Well, sorta.’_

Her family is from the House of Red, as in Little Red Riding Hood. Every ten years a female from Red’s bloodline would be born. If they completed their training and passed a final test they would officially be named a Red. The thing was...

A Red was only born and chosen when the need arose, or if... It rarely happened. If their soul mate was calling for them.

They became Red’s only if that girl, or occasionally boy, had the potential and the power.

Out of her and her three sisters, she had been chosen as a potential Red. Her grandmother had never said why, just that she had been chosen. Only that she was strong and that she carried the gift. It wasn't until later that she realized what exactly that gift was.

Sometimes the gift felt like a curse.

She shook her head, trying to stop her thoughts from overwhelming her. She pressed her right hand over her heart as hard as she could. She could feel it stronger than usual. That phantom heartbeat that told her that her soul mate is alive. It also meant they were scared, judging by the way the echoing beat seemed to speed up.

She surveyed the room. She had several computers set up in the front, monitoring police frequencies and several other things she deemed important to keep an eye on.

Moving past it all she headed straight for a trunk tucked away in the corner of the room.

Pulling out the blade she had hidden in her boot she made a small cut on her finger and pressed the bloody finger on the space where a lock would have been. The blood glowed softly and the lid slowly opened to reveal a bundle of cloth.

She gently unwrapped the cloth and pulled out what she had hidden away for so long. A silver hand mirror gleamed in the faint light of the room.

“Beast’s magic mirror...” She took a moment to admire the craftsmanship that went into creating this seemingly ordinary mirror.

_‘If only people knew.’_

Her grandmother would kill her if she knew what she had and what she was doing.

“Show me.. Show me my soul mate.” Oh how she despised that word. _Soul mate._

She preferred soul match. Soul mate felt too...too final and unchangeable.

The mirror seemed to ripple and then a glittering cloud seemed to swirl in it’s depths. As it cleared it revealed a darkened room. She flinched as something flew across the room and crashed against the wall, shattering into pieces. The mirror focused on the other side of the room. A shadowed figure slid down the wall, hands burying into their hair.

“Calm down.”

Suddenly it seemed as if the person gave up the will to fight and their body relaxed.

Belladonna blinked in surprise.

_‘They...They can’t hear me can they? No. It’s impossible.’_

She squinted trying to see if she could make out what they looked like. It was no use. All she could tell was that it was a man. The mirror couldn't show her much. Especially what she doesn't know.

With a wave of her hand the mirror settled back into it’s normal state. Carefully wrapping it up again she placed it back into the trunk and redid the blood seal.

“Well...It’s time to get to work...” She spoke to the plastic mannequin on the right hand side of the room.

A white Venetian shaped day of the dead mask adorned the mannequin’s face. Black Venetian detail covered the mask like a web. Red rubies formed flower petals that decorated around the eyes, like a Dia de los Muertos mask. In the center of the diamond shape of the Venetian mask a ruby adorned the mask. Long black ribbons were set into the mask to tie it on.

A red cloak was draped across the shoulders of the mannequin, hiding the clothes beneath it, giving off a slight glow.

A sense of peace settled over her as she stared up at the bright red cloak; she pushed that sense of peace out towards whoever her soul mate was. He wouldn't know that it was her. Hopefully he’d never find out.

_‘Hopefully, maybe... one day I’ll meet you. Please stay safe.’_

Just knowing who she was and that she could make a difference calmed her. Because through that she would meet her soul mate, she just knew it. That alone was a terrifying and exciting thought.

But first, she was a daughter of the House of Red and she was going to do her job. Being a Red is what will lead her to him...it had to. She stripped of her civilian clothes, pulling on the clothing from the mannequin.

Finally she pulled on the cloak, the silkiness of the fabric felt like water running through her fingers.

It had taken her a year to figure out how to make it, gather the materials, and to create it.

Spider silk from one of the greatest weavers in the world. Daphne, a descendant of Arachne.

Arachne was a human woman who had boasted of her weaving abilities, saying they were greater than even Athena’s. Athena offended and angered, declared a contest was to be had between them.

And so, the contest began.

Athena’s weave represented and boasted of the Gods might and the weakness of mankind. Arachne’s weave depicted the wrongdoings of the Gods and how they misled and abused mortals; particularly Zeus and his penchant for seducing mortal women. Angered, Athena tore Arachne’s weave into pieces and used Hecate’s potion and turned Arachne into a spider and the curse would pass onto her descendants.

One day, the first Red had wandered through the forest, making her rounds and came upon a group of women striking something repeatedly. Chasing off the women she looked upon a spider as large as a horse. It looked old and frail. It was Arachne. Upon hearing Arachne’s terrible tale and her fate, Red had offered to protect her and her kin until her death. Since then, an alliance between the House of Red and House of Arachne began. They would protect each other should the need arise. For the Red’s friendship and understanding, Reds would receive a spider silk cloak from the House of Arachne.

A cloak as red as freshly spilled blood.

_Spider Silk._

The spider silk made the fabric flexible and easy to manipulate to the Red’s will. It also made it virtually impossible to tear and made it stronger than steel, turning the cloak itself into a weapon.

Eventually, Belladonna ran into a problem. Her cloak kept snagging onto everything. So she came up with a solution.

_Ghost Skin._

Ghost skin collected from ghosts that she had helped throughout her years when she had been training. In return for her deeds the ghosts gave her strips of their skin. The skin gave her cloak the ability to phase through things and to become invisible. It also gave her cloak it’s unearthly glow. It had taken her a while to figure out how to add the ghost skin. Using a magical cauldron cast from silver, she had dissolved the ghost skin in a solution of water from the lake of Avalon, rose petals, wolfsbane, amaranth, and a handful of snowy owl feathers.

Water from the Lake of Avalon to purify.

Red and white Rose petals for virtue and redemption.

Wolfsbane so that no werewolves may touch it and cannot smell the wearer.

Amaranth for healing, protection, and invisibility.

Snowy Owl feathers for stealth to make the cloth virtually silent.

She then left the cloak to soak for days until the entire solution had been absorbed.

_Dragon Scales._

Dragon scales from around the world. Scales from a water dragon in Asia to repel water and gave it that fluid look and feel. Scales from a fire drake in Europe, the hardest substance in the world and fire resistant. Scales from a celestial dragon to give it the ability to change it’s shape. And finally, Lightning scales from her own draconic form so that her cloak wouldn't become damaged from the sheer force from her speed and it made her cloak flow without wind.

Each generation of her family raised their daughters that had the potential to become a Red were trained to be warriors.

Just because you were born into the Red bloodline didn't mean you were fated to become a Red. Well, that’s how things used to be...about a hundred years ago, until Red’s became practically non-existent.

When she found out she was a Red, the weight of what she had been told had seemed to crash down on her. Everything seemed to become clear. That was the reason why her bio family hated her. They resented that she had been the one to be chosen to become a Red. They believed her to be unworthy.

_‘I’ll show them. I’ll show them.’_ She clenched the fist that was over her heart.

Reds were meant to enforce the code that every hunter followed. The hunters they kept in check aren't your average hunters. They don’t hunt deer or birds and any other animals. They hunted werewolves, wendigos, and other _not_ natural creatures.

When a hunter began to kill werewolves with no regards as to who got hurt in the process, it was a Red’s sworn duty to kill them. To kill any hunter that had broken the code so strictly enforced by the Red’s. They made sure that no hunter became a loose cannon.

Some hunters became erratic and began slaughtering for pure enjoyment. Growing up and being trained to kill supernatural creatures they eventually disregard the fact that some of them are harmless and just trying to get by.

Other hunters even risked exposing the supernatural world in their thirst for blood. Those same hunters often killed humans if they were associated with the supernatural or even if they simply were in the way. If a hunter did become a liability...they were terminated. Immediately.

Here’s the thing, it’s been centuries since a Red has been around. As far as her family knew, she was amongst the first in about a hundred years. Throughout the supernatural community, Red’s were ghosts. Just a scary story hunters told their children about at night. For a long time, Red’s weren't needed.

_‘But now we are.’_

She came to Beacon Hills not only to see her family, but to establish a base of operations. She needed to restore the balance and keep the hunters and werewolves of Beacon Hills at peace with one another. If she didn't... she shuddered at the thought. An image of blood running down the streets flashed through her mind.

A lot of blood would be spilt if nothing was done to stop it... Lots of blood. It was time the hunters became the hunted.

Belladonna hummed as she stepped out into the night, cloak flaring out behind her as the wind hit it. A ferocious grin lit her face as she tied her hair up with a red ribbon and secured it with a small fork the size of her pointer finger. The lower half of her face had been painted with a Cheshire grin. The sharp painted teeth made her smile all the more terrifying as she began to sing.

It was about time she payed a little _visit_ to the Argents.

**_"Something wicked this way comes!"_ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, If you want you can add me/message me on tumblr at http://avengingphoenix.tumblr.com/


	4. There's No Escape From Justice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! :D  
> Enjoy!!!

“A good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad act the good. Each should have its own reward.”

-George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

Belladonna watched as Chris and his men cornered Derek Hale at a gas station. Her eyes narrowed, lips pursing as she watched.

_‘Smart of them to catch him out in public, not so smart of them to do it at night. Not when I’m free to patrol without interruption.’_

Not that they know a Red is watching them.

She wasn't going to interfere until she absolutely needed to.

_‘Best to keep a low profile from the werewolves, for now.’_

Her cloak stirred as a light breeze blew against her, she shifted and focused on trying to hear what was being said. The cloaks glow brightened, flaring out behind her as her magic rose, yet it remained unseen to everyone else.

They would see her when she wanted to be seen.

Tensing her muscles she jumped up into a tree, moving from the tree to the roof of the gas station. Her body crouched low on the branch and then she was airborne as she ran towards the edge of the building’s roof.

_‘Watch yourself Argent...don’t give me a reason to come after **you**.’_ Her eyes narrowed as Chris wiped the windshield of Derek’s black Camaro.

A low growl rumbled in her chest as she couldn't hear what was being said.

She needed to get closer to hear what was going on. Judging by their body language, it wasn't pleasant. Before she could move, one of Chris’ men smashed the driver's side window.

‘Hunters... Typical of them to inflict property damage. Such a shame too. Camaros are expensive.’

Moments later Argent and his men left, leaving Derek alone. She stayed for a moment longer, making sure the werewolf was unharmed.

Shaking her head she steeled herself for what she was going to do next and then jumped off the roof and ran to the Argent home. A streak of red was left in her wake as she reached speeds faster than light.

She was going to make things very clear to them, especially about that psycho Kate, she needed to be controlled or taken out. Kate had to pay for what she did all those years ago. So many innocent lives lost because of her, human lives. From what she gathered...Kate wasn't in town. The way things were going in Beacon Hills though, that wouldn't remain true for long.

A new alpha was in town and had killed one person already. Laura Hale, she knew her for a brief moment when she was younger.

The Hale fire...

A lot of good people died that day.

Eleven innocents had died, people she knew and cared about. For that, nothing could stop her from seeking justice.

Arriving at the Argents home she grinned, time for some chaos.

Chris’ car pulled up into the driveway and he slid out. He locked his car and made his way into his house.

Belladonna’s eyes narrowed and she crouched in a tree at the edge of the treeline as a window opened and a girl clambered out of it. Flipping off the roof she landed on the ground, unharmed.

_‘Teenagers.’_ She rolled her eyes, thanking her ancestors that she hadn't been broody and rebellious at that age. _‘Gods I feel old.’_

This girl was obviously a gymnast, a fairly good one too. Seconds later another girl scampered out of the house and into the car that the darker haired girl had snuck into.

_‘This makes my job easier. Better to keep kids out of this anyways. Things might get ugly.’_

She ran into their backyard, circling the house, hand touching the shell on her necklace. It flashed golden, a smoke of the same color seeped into her skin making it’s way to her throat.

_‘Now where’s their breaker box?’_

* * *

Chris and Victoria tensed as the lights suddenly went out. Their back up generator didn't turn on either. Chris moved to his wife, pressing close to her side.

“It’s not one of those monsters is it? They wouldn't dare attack us in our own home.” Victoria’s hand clenched around the meat cleaver she had been using to prepare dinner.

Chris pulled out one of his guns and looked around them, trying to pinpoint an intruder.

_**“No, they wouldn't. I would!”**_ They jumped at the deep voice that echoed around the house.

There was movement in the shadows, then a flare of red as a glowing cloak seemed to bleed from their walls. It stood out in the darkness. They watched in horror as a red hooded figure moved into the kitchen. The cloak stretched and billowed out in an unseen wind, it phased through the walls.

_**“Argents! Your family has broken the code, and for that you will receive one warning and one alone!”**_ The voice rumbled through the kitchen.

It sounded like thunder.

“We follow the code! We haven’t broken it!” Victoria glared defiantly.

_**“Wrong!”**_  The figured reached into the cloak, withdrawing something metal.

Chris felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. This was a descendant of Red and she sounded furious. She had every right to be if what he was thinking of was true.

“Wh-”

_**“Don’t ask stupid questions! You very well know of whom I speak.”**   _Suddenly the object in Red’s hand began to glow.

She was holding something glowing in the shape of a lightning bolt. Actual lightning began to arch in the air off of it. The lightning began to take shape, twisting and finally settling.

Red pulled back on the bowstring of her newly formed bow, an arrow made from lightning forming as she pulled back. She was done with pleasantries, it seemed.

Chris closed his eyes.”Kate...”

_**“Yes.”** _

Victoria latched onto Chris’ hand squeezing it and spoke to Red.“She’s the one who started the fire. She attacked the Hales.”

_**“Correct.”** _

“What do you want us to do?” Victoria lifted her chin and tried to remain calm and collected.

**_“Fix it. Either you deal with Kate and make her pay for what she has done, or I will. The House of Red will not stand for this sort of insolence any longer. She’s been protected long enough. No more. Humans died in that fire. Children died.”_ **

Victoria’s eyes hardened and she gave a curt nod.”Alright, we’ll take care of Kate.”

_**“Remember. This is your only warning. The House of Red doesn't give second chances.”** _ In the blink of an eye, the hooded figure was gone. Disappearing through the wall she came from.

Chris remained silent, body tense at what had just happened.

“Wh-what do we do?” Chris turned to his wife, she was the matriarch. She would make the final decision.

“We fix this. We can’t let what Kate’s done get to our daughter. You've heard the stories, Red’s won’t hesitate to wipe out an entire line of hunters if it was necessary. I won’t let Kate poison the rest of us.”

“Alright.” He nodded. ”For Allisson.”

* * *

Belladonna ran through the trees and into the forest. A full on cackle burst forth, it echoed around the forest. She let the bow collapse back into it’s smaller state and pressed the shell again. The golden glow brightened once again and the receded back into the shell.

_Ursula’s Seashell._

The very shell she used to steal Ariel’s voice was now hers. She was glad she found it. It proved useful.

She headed home with adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her cloak phasing through anything it touched.

With the Argents aware of her presence, her plan began to fall into place like pieces to a puzzle.

The hunters were all useless to her....and Beacon Hills was a mess. She had her work cut out for her.

The Argents would pay for their stupidity, not with their lives, oh no. With their piece of mind, when she’s through with them they’ll be jumping at shadows and very eager to follow her every whim. Like the cowards they are.

The House of Red has been slacking but it was time for them to restore the order. No more slaughtering innocents, no more lives lost. The hunters will learn to fear the name Red once again.

Reaching the loft she ran up the side of the building and tumbled into her room. Closing the window she headed to the small statue of a red and gold dragon that was perched on her bookcase. Pressing the ruby under the dragon’s claws it clicked into place with a snick. The bookcase began to spin and she hopped onto the piece of floor as it flipped to reveal a secret staircase. Running down the stairs she pulled off the mask and let it hang one her neck.

Finally making her way into her secret room she pulled the mask off her neck and placed it on the mannequin. Putting the outfit back onto the mannequin she once again lost herself in her thoughts. Grabbing a wet cloth she had left she ran it across her lips and the entire painted grin shimmered off.

Her mind drifted to the east, seeking out the now familiar emotions of her soul match. He seemed calmer now.

_'Good. That's good.'_

“One down...a whole lot more to go.” She sighed. “It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow.”

* * *

  Leaping into bed, belladonna tried to get comfortable, uncaring that she was still fully clothed. Just as she was on the edges of sleep her cell phone rang. With a groan she swiped her thumb across the screen and held the phone up to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Belladonna?”

Belladonna felt all her energy return as her cousins voice sounded in her ear.

“Eddie! How are you?” She shifted and let herself take up as much room on the bed as possible.

“I’m alright.” Eddie sounded exhausted.

She shifted. “You alright Ed?”

“Yeah yeah. Just exhausted. My job isn't easy you know?”

“Yup! Officer man. sir. guy.”

“Jerk.”

“Babyface.” She blew a raspberry at him.

Eddie laughed at her childish antics.

“How are things going with you Belle?”

“Good, real good. Grams put her old mansion down in L.A. in my name. Sadly, it’s not close to the bakery I bought.”

“Whoa...bakery? And while you're at it how about the truth?”

Belladonna chuckled.

“Yeah, it’s pretty big. So I’m gonna meet with some contractors to see what can be done and if I can make the changes I wanted. But, enough about me. What’s going on?”

"Belle...the _truth._ "

 With that Belladonna and her cousin spent the next three hours talking and comforting each other.

He was the only family she truly felt close to.


	5. The Bells Toll at Midnight

_“Half of the time I don't know what they're talking about; their jokes seem to relate to a past that everyone but me has shared. I'm a foreigner in the world and I don't understand the language.” - Jean Webster_

Belladonna stared at the phone in her hand. She knew she had to do this, turning on her heel she began to pace around the room. Telling people about the supernatural aspects of life was never... pleasant.

“Okay Belles, you can do this. It’s like ripping off a band-aid.”

Dialing her dad she made her way into the kitchen of the bakery. Setting a few sheets of cookies to bake, as she waited. Setting the timer as she walked to the front she leaned against the counter.

“Hello?”

“Hi papa! How are you?”

“Belladonna! I’m good, just bored.” Belladonna laughed.

“Paperwork huh? Do you mind if I stop by? Say in an hour? There’s uh, something I need to talk to you about.”

“...Yeah, sounds good. A break is very welcome and needed kiddo.”

_Great. He sounded suspicious._

“Alright. See ya later papa.”

“See ya. Bye.”

“Bye.” Pocketing her phone she pulled out her woven basket from behind the counter.

Running back into the kitchen Belladonna made sure she was out of sight. Putting two fingers to her mouth she let out a shrill whistle, making sure to focus her magic on it. The air shifted and shimmered and her cloak appeared before her. It twisted and moved behind her and settled on her shoulders, the edges closest to her collarbone fraying and weaving themselves to her clothes.

Smoothing her hand down her shirt she tapped her cloak electricity crackling from it and onto the cloak. Focusing her magic, the lightning began to arch around her and began to move the cloak. The bright red fabrics natural glow intensified filling the room with light. It began to change shape and then settled, the glow fading. The cloak was now a long trench coat. This was a bit less conspicuous.

She’d need it if things didn't go according to plan.

\---

Belladonna let the rumble of the motorcycle’s engine calm her as she raced towards the police station. Towards what felt like her doom.

She couldn't let herself back out of doing this. Her father deserved to know the truth, if only so he could be aware, alert, and if it came to it... prepared to protect himself.

Slowing down slightly as she neared the more populated part of town she made a sharp right turn, hand pressing on the right handle as she leaned left.

Pulling up to the police station she parked her bike as close to the entrance as she could get. Stretching and swinging her arms to try to chase her nerves away, she let out a shaky breath. Grabbing the basket full of goods she headed towards the precinct. A part of her wanted to jump back onto the cycle and drive as far away and as fast as she could. Not oddly enough, she wanted to head east.

She shook her head head, mumbling to herself.

She knew she couldn’t though, no matter how much she wanted to run she couldn’t abandon Beacon Hills to the terrible darkness that coated it’s land.

She had a job to do first, there was no room for running away.

Not yet, anyway.

She once again found herself in the once familiar halls of the station.

Pulling open the door she was greeted with stressed out looking officers.

Glancing up from some papers Officer Sanchez ran forward and enveloped her in a hug.

“Hola mija! ¿Comos estas?”

“Hola Xiomara. ¿Estoy bien, y tú?”

“Estoy bien, cansada, pero bien. ¿Que esta en la canasta?”

“Galletas.” Xiomara let out a laugh, squeezing her once more and letting go.

“Hey everyone! We've got treats!” The officers looked up at the word treats.

A few officers wandered over and greeted Belladonna, curious eyes blinking warily at the basket.

“My goodness! Belladonna Stilinski? Is that you?”

Belladonna glanced at the man’s name tag, face brightening as she saw the name. Alphonse Woodward, she remembered him taking care of her when she would sneak into the station and her dad was busy.

“Uncle Al! How are you?!” She ran and wrapped her arms around him, feeling like a little kid again.

She spent a while catching up with some of the older officers and meeting the newer ones. Halfway through talking with them an unsettling feeling set over her. Eventually everyone grabbed a cookie and she made her way to her father’s office smiling at the exclamations that followed her as they ate her cookies. Judging by what was being said...they loved her cookies.

Wait till they had a taste of the Red family brownies.

Knocking on her father's office door she waited till she was acknowledged and walked in.

“Hi papa!” She set the basket down on his desk, smacking his hand away. “What? No hug first?”

The sheriff laughed and gave her a tight hug, a hand running through her hair.

“So what did you want to talk about kiddo?” She backed out of the hug and her smile faltered for a moment and then brightened.

_‘Oh geez, I’m not ready for this.’_

“Dad...I need to tell you something.”

“Oh God, please tell me you’re not pregnant!” He seemed to pale at the thought.

“No! What..? No! I’m not pregnant! Yeesh...”

“Oh thank goodness. What is it then?” Raymond watched his daughter as she moved to the windows and began to close the blinds.

Turning back to him she wrung her hands in front of her and ground her foot to the floor. Heaving a sigh she steeled herself for what would happen.

“This is gonna be difficult for you to accept but, I need you to hear me out. Okay?” This was gonna suck, judging by the Stare of Doom being sent her way. ” All those fairy tales mom would read to me? They’re real.”

The sheriff sighed, shoulders hunching in what Bella knew to be disappointment.

“Belle. stop joking around. If you’re going to waste my ti-”

“Dad! I’m not lying pleas. Just lis-”

“We aren't having this conversation and that’s final!”

“Dad! It’s the truth. Just hear me out for a second. _Please."_   A deep, dark part of her bristled at begging she pushed that feeling away. "Mom’s side of the family, they’re descendants of Little Red Ridi- ”

“No! This is _ridiculous_! We aren't having this convers-”

In a fit of anger Belladonna stamped her foot and let her magic reach out into the room, undoing the spell she had on her cloak. It began to retake it’s original shape, flaring out behind her as it reacted to her anger and frustration. The whole room was bathed in an angry red glow that emanated from the cloak, the tattered ends reaching out as if they were alive.

“Oh my Go-”

\---

“-d.”

Scott grinned goofily as Alisson sent a smile his way. He flailed as he almost lost the precious balance that he had maintained on his chair.

“Dude...” Stiles slammed his foot into Scott’s chair. Again.

“What?”

“Can you please stop focusing on Allison and maybe start freaking out a little bit more?”

Scott blinked, eyes hazy as if he were in a trance. Stiles rolled his eyes. He was gonna lose his eyeballs at this rate. If he rolled his eyes enough, he’s sure they’ll roll out of his head and down the hallway.

Don’t get him wrong, Stiles loved Scott but there were moments when he wanted to take Scott and give him a swirly. Dog’s love drinking out of the toilet was his only excuse for that thought.

“We've got a crises on our hands!” He hissed, ducking his head as their teacher looked their way.

“What crises?” He barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes yet again.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you’re a freaking werewolf with no control over his wolfy abilities yet!”

“Hm.. what?”

“I hate you.”

Unknown to them, Belladonna was making her way to the school. One goal in mind.

Find out what was going on and if they involved in the world of the supernatural.

\---

Sheriff Stilinski stared at the desk as he tried to process what he and Bella had just discussed. He wasn't sure how to take it all. Part of him wanted to scream and take Stiles and take off and never come back. The other part knew that he had to stay and protect the people of Beacon Hills.

_‘Monster are real. Monsters are real. monstersarerealmonstersarereal **monstersarereal**.’_

It had been the only thing he could focus on at the moment. That, and...

‘My daughter might be the biggest monster of them all.’

\---

Belladonna grinned as the bell rang and students began to pour out of the school. She could hear the whispers as people pointed at her and gawked. Glancing at her reflection, her helmet glinted in the bright, California sun. The rumble of the Ducati’s engine calming her down. The conversation she had with her father had unsettled her.

She tried to ignore the stares being directed at her. She never liked being stared at, she preferred blending in and remaining unseen.

It was a Red thing, she supposed.

At the beginning of her training she had been taught how to blend in in plain sight. She had also been taught that sometimes you need to be out in the open, and not being recognized or seen was a very good skill to have. The attention made her feel excited, yet nervous. It was thrilling to be out in the open and not have to hide who she is. Well, sort of.

She breathed in and leaned forward on the Ducati, resting her arms on the front of the cycle.

Some students began to stop and talk, openly staring at the sleek black motorcycle. Belladonna took pride in her Ducati, it was her baby. Loving their mode of transportation was a Stilinski thing. Her dad absolutely adored his car. From what he told her, Stiles loved his blue jeep just as much as he loves his car.

_How could you not love something that was so shiny and pretty?_

Focusing her hearing she let it spread out. She perked up as she picked out her little brother’s voice from the crowd. No matter how much things changed, they still stayed the same.

_“What’s going on?”_

_“Dude! How am I supposed to know? You're the freaking werewolf.”_

_“Shut up.”_

Aw...hell. She was right. One of them was bit.

_'Subtle boys... Very subtle.’_

She saw Stiles and Scott’s bodies push through the crowd as they both managed to force their way to the front. Swinging her leg over she dismounted the bike, leather jacket creaking. She grinned, pulling off the helmet directing her smile towards the two boys, hand running through her hair.

“Hey little brothers. Miss me?” She received shocked stares from many as everyone glanced from Scott and Stiles to her.

She stumbled a little as two bodies collided with hers in a fierce hug with a cry of, “Belladonna!”

“Hey Scotty, hey Stiles. Got time to spare for little old me?”

Scott and Stiles laughed and stared, then Scott spoke up.”How long are you gonna be here?”

“I’m here to stay.”

Stiles squeaked and then buried his face in her shoulder.“Yeah!”

“How ‘bout we go and catch up? At my place, of course.” She grinned as she felt two nods, blinking as Scott seemed to sniff her.

_‘...werewolves.’_ She held back the urge to roll her eyes.

\---

Both boys gawked as they stood outside of her home/bakery/cafe. The bright blue sign read Once Upon a Time. A wolf and fox were carved out into the stone archway entrance. Each creature curled around a side of the archway of the entrance. The fox’s nine tails stretched out and around the pillar, the tips of it’s tails stretching towards the ground. The wolf’s head was tipped back in a silent howl. Behind the wolf, the fox, and the lettering...

A great black and gold flecked dragon stood, wings stretched out, and mouth open in a roar. Flames shot out of it’s mouth, glowing bright red thanks to the neon lights.

“So...What do you think, boys?” She clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. She felt them tense under her hands and she resisted the urge to laugh.

They were really horrible at keeping calm under pressure. She’d have to teach them how to stay calm and relaxed when they’re under pressure. After all... she wouldn't be around for long.

“It’s...cool.” Scott finally spoke, voice slightly shaky.

Stiles on the other hand, remained uncharacteristically quiet.

Her face dropped and she took a step away from them.

_'Time to play the hurt feelings card._ '

”You don’t like it. Crap...I knew it! No one’s gonna like it and then I’m gonna have to tear the place apart!”

“No! We like it! Right, Stiles?” Stiles jumped at Scott’s question.

“Yeah...it’s jus- Why a fox, wolf, and dragon? And what’s with the name of the place too? Once Upon a Time?” His voice squeaked a bit at the end as Scott elbowed him in the stomach.

She grinned and proceeded to drag them into the bakery, both seemingly surprised at her sudden change in mood.“Ah. Now that, that my dear brothers, is the million dollar question. You know the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, right?”

They both nodded warily as she pulled them into the workers lounge.

“Well, Grams told me a different version of the fairy tale. One that not a lot of people know.”

She settled onto the large window seat that she had built so that workers could take their breaks and relax. Stiles quickly sat in between her legs, face pressed into her stomach. After their mom died, it had become a habit of his. It was comfortable for him.

Scott tucked himself into her side, nose pressed into her hip. Both boys gave her their undivided attention, blinking up at her expectantly.

\---

“Like any good fairy tale, this tale begins with... Once Upon a Time.”Scott gave her a funny look. “Don’t look at me like that. All fairy tales star- okay, you know what? Never mind...”

“Shall we begin?" She cleared her throat.

"Once upon a time, in a small village on the outskirts of France, lived a young woman. Now, no one remembers where in France exactly. Not anymore. The village no longer exists... but we’ll get back to that later.

This young woman grew up like all little girls, well loved by her family and by the village where girls were so rare and so precious to the people. The girl, though, was as they called it back in the day, an... adventurous spirit. Her name...Isolde Grimm. The people there knew her as Little Red Riding Hood, or Little Red for short, because of the bright red cloak she wore.

Now Little Red was...well, odd.

“An adventurous spirit, that Isolde.” The villagers would mutter, shaking their heads.

For you see, Isolde was always running around looking for an adventure. Everyone had thought her strange. Girls her age were meant to be getting married and having children. Red hadn’t gotten married and spent her time walking in the forest, reading her books. The villagers simply couldn't understand why she wouldn't marry. She was beautiful, so that couldn't have been the problem. She was intelligent so that also couldn't be the reason.

The problem was that she cared more for reading and never cared for courting. She always claimed none of the village boys had caught her eye. They were all as dull as bricks, in her opinion anyways. They were too eager to boast about their own strengths rather than actually talk to her. It became very boring, very quickly.

Now books. Books held entire worlds in them. They especially never lied to you.

Our tale truly begins one dark stormy day, Isolde’s mother asked her to deliver some sweets to her grandmother out in the forest. Donning her red cloak, Isolde set off to her grandmother’s house, basket of goodies in hand.

Before she could get far, her mother shouted after her. “Do not stray from the forests path! All sorts of beasts reside in the darkest parts of the woods!”

With a nod to reassure her mother, Little Red set off into the forest with a skip in her step. After a while, Red naturally wandered off the trail. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her and fear did not stop her like it did the others.

It wasn't long after she wandered off the trail that things changed. The forest went quiet. Too quiet. The singing of the birds and the life of the forest seemed to silence itself. Not a sound in the air. And then, all of the sudden, a howl pierced the air and echoed throughout the forest. Cautiously she looked about her. It sounded far enough away, that she should be safe.

She jumped as another howl rent the air, and she resumed walking, her pace quickening. Whatever the howl belong to, it seemed to be headed straight for her. Heart pounding, she shot off quick as an arrow. Another echoing howl answered the first, until all she could hear was the howling of wolves. She froze in place, too scared to move. At once, the howling stopped, and the forest fell completely and unnaturally silent.

“Are you lost miss?”

Red gave a shriek at the voice that sounded behind her. Whirling around, she came face to face with one of the striking men she had ever laid eyes upon. A tall man, around her age stood before her. His sharp eyes seemed to bore through her. It was as if he was cataloging everything about her. She huffed, annoyance painting her features.

“Didn't your mother teach you better than to sneak up on a woman?” Red held a hand over her heart. “You gave me quite the fright, good sir!”

“My apologies, my lady.” He gave a low bow with a flourish of his hand. ”I did not mean to startle you. Why are you not following the path? Dark things lurk in the forest.”

Stepping forward, he brushed a lock of her light brown hair behind her ear. Red swallowed and tried to calm her racing heart, this time not in fear... but excitement. This felt like a page straight out of her books.

“I like to wander my good sir. Following the path is dull and boring, I wish for adventure. It is what I yearn for. I want more than an ordinary life.” She smiled warily at the handsome man that stood before her.

“If you intend to stay off the path...would it be alright if I accompanied you? To ensure your safe arrival to your destination of course. I know these woods, I am a Ranger.” He offered her a small smile, holding out his hand.

Red flushed and stammered. Should she trust this stranger? Trusting him seemed like something a character from one of her books would do. Traveling with a Ranger now that would be the adventure of a lifetime. How could she ever resist?

“I would very much like that. I am Isolde. What is the name of the one who accompanies me, might I ask?” Green eyes met her blue ones.

“Conor, at your service my lady.”

His short brown hair was odd, though Red thought it looked quite fetching. The men in her village all had long hair, usually tied back with a ribbon or string. It was quite fetching most women would think. But not Isolde.

“Well, Conor, It’s nice to make your acquaintance.” She held her hand out to Conor.

Reaching out he grabbed her hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. “As am I, my lady.”

\---

Belladonna paused as she glanced at the clock on the wall and quietly cursed. Two pairs of eyes blinked up at her.

“Sorry boys, it’s starting to get late and I wanna catch up with you two before you have to go.” Belladonna nodded towards the clocked and they both turned to look at it, eyes widening. ”You've got school tomorrow, you should get home soon and do your homework.”

Both boys protested and begged her to finish the story. Belladonna smiled at them and promised to pick up where they left off tomorrow after school. Tomorrow was Friday after all and they’d most likely be able to stay for the weekend.

“So..? What have you two been up to lately?”

Two bright smiles were directed at her as the boys then launched into a series of tales on what they had been doing these past few years.

Her grin felt faker and faker as they continued babbling about their lives. It felt small, at first, then it seemed to snowball on her. I took her almost to the end of their tirade of information that she pinpointed what exactly had her so off.

_She didn't belong._

_She was a foreigner in a familiar land, filled with familiar people._

She brightened her grin as they finished their tale.

“Sounds like you rascals were busy.” Glancing at the clock she feigned a sad smile. “It’s time for you boys to go. You need some time to yourselves and for homework.”

Receiving two smiles and hugs with minimal complaints she watched as they took off and headed home. She shook her head fondly at them, heart feeling heavy. She’d missed them a lot and she was going to spend as much time with them as she could.

She still couldn't shake the unsettling feeling of wrongness that had sunk into her very bones.

She shifted and moved over to the coat hanger and grabbed her apron. Tying the apron around her waist she began to prepare dough for some freshly baked bread.

The bell to the shop rang as the door was opened, Belladonna paused and dumped the flour into the mixer and turned it on.

Walked into the cafe part of the bakery she smiled at the young woman that just stepped in.

“How can I help you?” She wiped her hands on the apron tied around her waist.

“Um...hi! I saw your ‘help wanted’ sign. I was wondering about getting a job application.”

“Yeah. I’m Belladonna.” She held her hand out.

“Naomi.” She shook Belladonna’ hand, smiling.

\---

Belladonna lay sprawled out on her bed, arms pillowed under her head. She breathed in and out deeply trying to calm herself. Pressing her hand against her chest she focused her hearing on the heartbeat that echoed hers. It soon became all she could hear. Her eyes glazed over as she lost herself in the sound.

Today had been a long, eventful day. She her thoughts consume her, mind plotting her next plan of action. She had to meet up with her dad and tell him what she had gathered about Stiles and Scott.

The question was...

“Should I tell him what I’m planning? Or should I lie?” Belladonna drifted off to sleep, mind and heart conflicted.

\---

Belladonna tossed and turned in her sleep, she shot up with a panicked scream. Her mind plagued with the images her soul mate was subconsciously sending her. She shuddered. Knowing that he was constantly in danger had her on edge.

Her bonded had been through so much as it was, yet still he suffered.

She paced the length of her large room, trying to work off the excess energy thrumming through her veins. She stopped in her tracks and stared absently at the wall, eyes hardening in decision.

Glancing at the clock she groaned. “Frick! How is it so late already?! Or is it so early? Aw, crap!”

Running over she peeked through the deep red curtains, the morning light blinding her temporarily. She hissed and ran into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day. The clock by her bedside blinking merrily in the dim room. It read 8 am.

She was gonna be late. The bakery needed to open in an hour and she had only managed a few hour of sleep.

_She still couldn't shake the feeling of not quite belonging in Beacon Hills._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:
> 
> “Hola mija! ¿Comos estas?” --> "Hello my daughter! How are you?"
> 
> “Hola Xiomara. ¿Estoy bien, y tú?” --> "Hi Xiomara. I'm good, and you?"
> 
> “Estoy bien, cansada, pero bien. ¿Que esta en la canasta?” --> "I'm good, tired, but good. What's in the basket?"
> 
> “Galletas.” --> "Cookies."


	6. You're afraid of who you are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you do everything you can and it never seems to be enough for those around you. Pain is just another part of life. It never goes away, that loneliness, sadness, and pain. You just learn to cope and deal with it. That's the amazing thing about humans. You learn to push past that pain, you don't let it rule you. -Belladonna Stilinski
> 
> Edit:Okay, so I took a look through this chapter and wasn't quiet satisfied with it so I've rewritten and rearranged some parts. Hopefully this is better than what I had before. :D I should have the next chapter after this posted up in a day or so. Thanks for your patience! Love you all. ;3

_“I do believe in the power of story. I believe that stories have an important role to play in the formation of human beings, that they can stimulate, amaze and inspire their listeners.” ― Hayao Miyazaki_

_[ _Fire, Fire_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2tfJlWyzIE) _

“You’re kidding.” Sheriff Stilinski stared at his daughter, then sighed.

“Papa! I’m being completely serious here!”

“...Why?!”

“Papa~!” Belladonna growled in frustration. “I’m serious!”

Belladonna bit back a sigh as he only continued to glare at her halfheartedly. She began to stamp her feet in annoyance.

“Quit acting like a child, Belladonna.”

She threw her arms out and shook her head, stamping her feet again.”I am not _acting_!”

Ray clapped a hand to his face and began to laugh at his daughter's antics. She always seemed to be able to pick up on his moods and made him laugh. He had really missed her.

“Wait. Dammit that’s not what I meant!”

Yet...

A part of him just knew that somehow it was an act. That, whatever she had learned about the supernatural world had changed her. For the worse.

His baby girl was gone, replaced with a hurt and angry... copy.

Belladonna sighed, “It’s better they not know anyways. Let them keep their secret. It’s why I told you in the first place, I knew they weren’t going to tell you and you deserve to know. If only to be prepared should anything go wrong.”

“Alright. Alright! I won’t tell Stiles.” He shook his head.

‘She has changed...’

“Hooah!” Running forward she jumped on his back.

“Hey! Watch it! I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“Well, you’re still pretty spry for an old man.”

“That’s it young lady!” He threw her onto the nearest chair and began to mercilessly tickle her.

Everyone outside of the Sheriff's office blinked and smiled softly before returning to work. The Stilinski family was odd.

And one thing was for sure...

Things are definitely going to get interesting around here.

\---

The bell to the bakery chimed and the sound of footsteps filled the area. Belladonna rubbed her eyes and yawned. She had had a long night last night and so much had happened, she wasn’t quite prepared for it all.

It wasn’t going to happen again.

Her eyes flashed bright gold, the flare reflecting in the mirror across the room. She scrambled to hide the ancient tomes that she had been studying.

If she was dealing with werewolves she needed to brush up on her history.

“Belladonna!” It was Scott and Stiles.

“Just a second!” Belladonna quickly checked the mirror and smoothed down her hair and retouched her makeup.

Nodding at her reflection she ran out into the bakery and smiled at her little brothers, arms open wide for a hug. They both encased her in a bone crushing hug and proceeded to drag her back into the break room. She stumbled and tried to remain upright.

“‘Ey! What’s the big idea?”

Ignoring her, Stiles and Scott threw their backpacks to the ground. They proceeded to push her into the window seat, Stiles settling in between her legs and Scott tucking himself into her side against the window. Arranging the pillows they blinked up at her expectantly.

She raised a brow. “Well..?”

“The story!” Scott nudged her hip with his nose.

“We wanna hear the rest!” Stiles pouted and buried his face in her stomach.

“Alright, alright. Let me just grab something real quick.”

Two whines of protest filled the room as she jumped off and ran into the back part of the bakery. Minutes later she returned, arms piled with desserts, snacks, and some sodas. How she was carrying it all was a mystery, it seemed she had them balanced on top of each other.

“Okay, now I’m ready.” She settled back and adjusted slightly as both boys cuddled closer.

“Now where was I..?” She tapped her chin and grinned when she remembered the spot she had finished at.

“Years passed and Red continued to meet her Ranger in the forest. Every trip to her grandmother’s he’d be there. Waiting.”

_Isolde grew from an awkward girl to the most beautiful woman anyone had ever laid their eyes upon. Or so some would say._

_She didn’t believe them._

_How could she? She had never felt more ugly in her life. For as beautiful as the others claimed her to be, she’d never catch the eye of the one her heart desired._

**_“Wait! Wait!”_ **

**_“Stiles, if you’re going to interrupt the story I’m going to stop for the day.”_ **

**_“But I don’t get it!”_ **

**_“Get what?”_ **

**_“If she’s so pretty why is she so down on herself because she can’t catch this dude’s attention?”_ **

**_She sighed, “Love works in mysterious ways cariño.”_ **

**_“How so?”_ **

**_“Well, for one, love doesn’t work like in the movies. Love is one of the most heartbreaking and one of the most breathtaking things a human can experience.” She leaned forward, clearing her throat._ **

**_She really didn’t want to talk about this. But she was never one to deny her brothers._ **

**_“It’s one of the most powerful forces in existence.” There was a sort of reverence in her voice and the boys blinked up at her._ **

**_Scott opened his mouth but was cut short as Stiles elbowed him, rapidly shaking his head._ **

**_“I-it it can... It can destroy people. It can heal people too. It can make or break a person and it is both terrible and wonderful.” Her voice cracked and she drew in a shaky breath._ **

**_“So I suppose the reason she doesn’t feel beautiful is because people always put pressure on her because she was beautiful. She grew up believing that because she was beautiful that any man would be lucky to have her and the one man she wants...doesn’t seem to care or notice.”_ **

**_“She equated beauty to love and because he never noticed her... she felt ugly. I guess that’s what love does to ya. Makes you irrational when it comes to everything else.” Shaking her head she grinned and ruffled Scott’s hair, gave Stiles a noogie, and leaned back again to finish the story._ **

**_“We can talk about it more after the story. Now, shush. Lemme finish.”_ **

_As Isolde gathered her basket of food and goodies for her grandmother she put her hood up and made her way into the forest. As she disappeared into the treeline she began to sing, walking to the spot Conor always met her at. As she neared the largest tree in the clearing where they first met she paused, a frown pulling at her lips._

_Conor was always at the tree. Why wasn’t he there now?_

_Her heart began race as terrible thoughts filled her mind. Conor could be hurt or dead and she’d never even told him how she’d felt._

_“M’lady. Forgive me for being late.” Isolde whipped around, cloak dragging in the dirt._

_A gasp escaped her lips as her eyes focused on the deep wounds that covered Conor seemingly from head to toe._

_“I was held back but a moment, my lady. Forgive me.” He winced as he tried straightening to his full height._

_“Conor? What happened? Conor, Conor!” Her basket fell to the ground, spilling its contents._

_There was so much blood._

_Her world fell apart._

\---

Bella watched as Stiles began to become withdrawn from the world. He’d wake up with nightmares, his screams echoing through the Stilinski household. At first she thought it had been the echoing effects of awakening the Nemeton.

That theory had been dispelled rather fucking quickly.

In retrospect it had taken her too long to realize what had been going on with her brother, she blamed herself for things escalating this quickly.

She fled to the Main Red Household.

Now, the Main Household's location was kept a secret. Known only to the Red's and a select few others within the family. Other than them...no one knew the place even existed. It was where all Red's were taken to began their training once their powers..."came online" so to speak.

She had to seek with the Council of Red. If anyone knew of how to stop the Nogitsune without killing Stiles it would be them.

The Council of Red were members of the House of Red that would collect any and all information on the supernatural. When a Red would need to learn about a certain monster that’s where she would go.

As for the location?

Well, Hawaii was the perfect place for the Main House for obvious reasons. It was in the perfect spot, water surrounding all sides and it became a central hub for the Reds to gather and be sent out to new places to protect the innocent. Hidden deep in a dead volcano, the house lay hidden to all but a few. A large maze was built into the very ground, using magic and science to create a pocket dimension of sorts. 

It's bigger on the inside.

It had admittedly taken her longer than she would have liked to find a solution, she'd been searching through the library for days on end. Hardly sleeping or eating. Once she found the solution to her problem... _well._ It was more like slapping a bandaid on someone who's throat had been sliced open. And yeah...that was a beautiful fuckin' picture.

So yeah, she did what she had to do.

She knew that her family would be angry with what she did...

Though nothing could have prepared her for what was to come.

The only way to save her brother was to seal the fox within his body as she sought out a new host for the trickster. It had taken her even longer to find a suitable host but she eventually found a she-fox whose kit had died during the birthing process.

It was a little known fact that Reds could speak to animals. It came with the magic.

It had taken time but she had begged and pleaded with the shefox to let her take the corpse of her child to be used as a vessel for the Nogitsune. Eventually the saddened and dying she-fox had relented. She took both kit and mother with her. She nursed the shefox, Clara, she learned back to health and began to set her plan into motion.

She wasn't an idiot like the others back in Beacon Hills. She knew that even if they sealed the fox into another cage it would only be a matter of time before it would be unleashed upon the Earth.

Again.

For a third time.

Damn Noshiko for summoning the crazed beast in the first place.

She had to ensure her brother’s safety but also ensure that the Nogitsune wouldn’t be given a third chance to sate its thirst for chaotic destruction.

\---

Now Belladonna knew the meaning of “Her world fell apart.” a line repeated time and time again in the tales of the House of Red.

What a joke.

Bella held back the hysterical scream that threatened to tear through her throat. Her eyes widened in horror as the harsh words echoed in her mind.

_'You're nothing but a monster Bella. Maybe that's why people hate dragons.'_

_'Get away from him!'_

_'You're not my daughter! She never came back! You're some cheap, murdering copy!'_

These past few years she had done everything in her power to protect those she had loved. She did it all in the shadows.

Always in the shadows.

She ensured her family's safety time and again, sacrificing everything to keep them safe and this was how she was repaid.

Banishment.

_**"We don't ever want to see you again, Red. You are no longer welcome in Beacon Hills. you are no longer welcome in the McCall pack!"** _

Her heart began to race as she felt the onslaught of magic that was racing towards Beacon Hills.

Towards _her._

She couldn’t help it, she began to laugh.

It was a twisted, hysterical sounding thing.

Well, it was as they said...the road to hell is paved with good intentions and what-not.

In all honesty, she preferred banishment. It would be a tender mercy compared to being cast those distrustful, angry looks from her baby brothers. It would destroy her to see them outright distrust her everyday.

She was only trying to save her brother and countless people in the future.

The ancient magic continued it’s narrow course towards Beacon Hills accompanied by whispers. The whispers were countless voices of Reds that had long since died and they were coming for her. The ancient language of the dragons is what they spoke.

And they were in pain on her behalf.

She sighed, “Well...Don’t have much time then. Do I?”

She brought a shaky hand up, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Before anyone could react she set forth, the spell that had been carved into her hand reacting to the onset of magic being pushed into it. She was a blur as she used her full speed hand slamming into Stiles’ stomach. The ancient seals burned and bled on her hand and her arm as it latched onto the Nogitsune. She had carved these seals into her skin ahead of time.

It was a good thing too, she wasn't going to have much time now.

She pulled back as the black smoke began to seep out of Stiles’ stomach, the inky black essence pooling in her hand. It moved like living water.

And wasn't that a terrifying thought?

Once the nogitsune was fully extracted, she ran back to the basket that had lain abandoned at her feet. Belladonna worked quickly as she forced the Nogitsune into it’s new host, the draconic voices growing in volume.

She knew the others hadn’t reacted well to her sealing the fox into Stiles. She knew there would be consequences. She had no other choice in the matter, she had to ensure that the fox wouldn't switch bodies before she could find a way to either control it or be rid of it once and for all.

Belladonna pushed as much magic as she could into the seal as the she-fox sprung out of the basket, snapping her maw at the others as they tried to attack Bella.

_‘Quickly, Bella!’_ Clara growled out as she began to grow in size.

Once Clara decided to stick with her Belladonna took her on as her familiar. Being a dragon's familiar came with perks, like...exhibit A.

Clara was now the size of a horse and now had nine tails that whipped back and forth in a show of her agitation.

The wolf pack scrambled back at the sight of her, the only ones standing their ground was Noshiko. That was a given though, she was old as hell.

Bella dug deep into the core of her magic, quickly releasing it from the tight control she had it under. Storm clouds appeared seemingly out of nowhere as thunder rumbled and lightning lit up the darkened sky. The booming of the thunder was deafening.

The clap of thunder filled the air as lightning struck down, the beautiful yet deadly arcs of plasma dancing around her. It twisted around her body, seemingly dancing along her skin. Leaping from her body, the lighting struck the ground in one continuous blast, carving an alchemical and magical circle into the ground.

It took both science and magic to beat this fox. She was the best of both worlds, she'll be damned if she couldn't pull this off.

All too soon the spell was finished, the eye of the storm settled over them. The excess lightning leapt back towards her, absorbing into her body.

Pulling out one of her throwing knives, Bells made a shallow cut on the back of her arm, fingers dipping into the fresh blood and painting more symbols all along her skin. The symbols were then retraced with the blade, it’s sharp edge cutting a smooth path in her skin. She wouldn’t mourn the loss of smooth skin.

She would mourn her family that she knew she would lose.

She just thought she’d be given a chance to explain.

She apparently thought wrong.

The binding spell was complete, the Nogitsune wouldn’t be allowed to leave her side.

Ever.

She slowly stood up to her full height, ignoring the crack her knees gave as she straightened.

“Ah...C’est la vie!” She directed a grin towards the people she once called family.

She be damned if she let them see her cry. Only family had the privilege of seeing a Red cry. And apparently, she no longer had a family in Beacon Hills.

They had ensured that.

The magic was minutes away now, moving faster thanks to her magic filling the area, shining like a beacon. Blood calls to blood and all that jazz.

“I’m sorry things ended like this.” She liked her lips.”I really am.”

Scott tossed her his signature kicked puppy look.

“You planned this all along?”

She shrugged, foot kicking at a small rock.“Sort of, I only had a rough idea of what to do. What? You think I was gonna leave Stiles to be tormented by the fox for the rest of his life?”

The sharp tugging on her heart reminded her that at least she still had her soulmate. It helped ground her. And this would be a first, it seemed that they might be feeling her distress and reacting to it. Even if they couldn't understand what was going on.

“Wh-” “I couldn’t risk the chance of any of you stopping me.” She cut Scott off.

"But...you're a Red. You've been killing people all this time."

"I do what I have to." She shrugged.

"We don't kill people, Bells!" Scott's eyes began to fill with tears.

"You don't, I do. I don't have a choice."

"Bu-"

"STOP! You think I had a choice? Scott!"

"There's always a choice."

"Yeah, well I can't afford to think like that. Some of us have to get our hands a little bloody sometimes. SOME OF US ARE HUMAN!"

Scott frantically shook his head, "No,no! You can't just kill people!"

"Tough, I'll do what's necessary to protect my pack."

“We'll figure this out later, Stiles is fine and we can all go home. Let's all go home.”

Well wasn't that a punch to the friggin' face?

“Yeah...you can.” She couldn’t help the bitterness that seeped into her voice.

Red’s don’t cry in front of strangers.

That’s what they were to her now, it’s what they had to be. It was too late.

“What do you mean we can?” Stiles finally spoke up, standing on shaky legs.

Ah, her smart baby brother, as sharp as always.

“I’m banished, remember?”

“But that doesn’t mean anything, we take it back.” Scott took a step towards her, she took two back in turn.

Bella barked out a laugh. It was sharp and bitter and it left a rancid taste in the back of her mouth.

Or it might be bile.

“Too bad things don’t work that way.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.”I don’t have much time left.”

She held up her hand, stopping any of them from saying anything.

“I just wanted to say that I love you all. You’ve all made me so happy. Even you, Peter, you crazy bastard.

Jus-Just know that I love you all and that I tried, okay? I did my best. And you know what? I did awesome.”

"I'm sorry." She choked out as her gaze settled on Chris Argent. "I'm sorry I couldn't save her."

“Bella...” Ray blinked back tears as he stared at his daughter, her jerky movements causing his heart to sink. He regretted what he had said to her earlier.

“I told you what happens when a Red is banished, didn't I?” Bella gathered up the basket, held her bloody arm out to Clara. The fox shrunk back to her normal size and leapt up, climbing onto her shoulders and curling around her neck. There wasn't enough time for much explaining...

_'Plus...ignorance is bliss. Isn't it?'_ She took a deep breath and sent them a bland smile and a mock salute, blood flicking outwards as it was flung from the force of her salute.

"Well, sayonara. It's been a hell of a ride."

**_‘Time’s up.’_ ** Belladonna closed her eyes as the magic blasted over her. The last thing she knew before she blacked out was the cries of her once family and pain.

_So.Much.Pain._

_‘When will the pain stop?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! :D Love you my darlings!


	7. My Immortal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter.  
> I have no beta reader so any mistakes are mine.  
> Enjoy! :D

**Chapter 7**

~~~

[Demons](https://youtu.be/9DLtzc9KLiw)

_When you feel my heat_

_Look into my eyes_

_It’s where my demons hide_

_It’s where my demons hide_

_Don’t get too close_

_It’s dark inside_

_It’s where my demons hide_

_It’s where my demons hide_

~~~

A plain banishment would have played out well in Belladonna’s favor. The whole vortex of doom coming after her and dragging her away would have been pleasant compared to this.

But no... _they_ couldn’t do things the easy and painless way.

Belladonna barreled through the woods. Bare feet striking the pavement, she ran as fast as she could. Which at the moment was laughable. Tears stung her eyes, she’d been betrayed.

By her own kin.

\---

Instead of banishing her, they had welcomed her back with open arms. Her brothers teary eyed and shaking had encased her in a tight hug. It took them a while to let go.

“I’m sorry.” She had mumbled into the tops of their heads.

Stiles only shook his head, grip tightening as he cried into her shoulder. His voice filled the clearing, a string of ‘it’s okay it’s okay’ falling from his lips.

In time Scott moved back to the rest of the group letting the siblings and eventually their father have their moment.

After the Stilinski family seperated, Scott returned holding out an apple to her.

“Here, you need to eat something. Need to get back your strength.”

Bella looked at him oddly but accepted the apple with a shrug.

She was starving and it looked delicious. She couldn’t remember when she’d last eaten.

Taking a large bite she chewed the crisp and juicy fruit, wiping at the corner of her mouth as a trickle of juice made it’s way down her mouth. Taking another bite she cleared her throat as she swallowed.

_‘Huh, weird. Tastes...different.’_

“Okay, that's it! What’s up with you guys?” Stiles whirled around towards Scott and Derek. “You’re acting weird since she got here.”

Bells glanced up at Stiles and her father, brow arched in question. Another bite was taken and chewed thoughtfully as she raised her gaze towards the others. Stiles and her father were staring at the rest of the group as they all seemed to stare at Bells and the apple.

Glancing down at the apple and towards the group then back at the apple, a sense of dread curled in the pit of her stomach.

‘They..they wouldn’t.’

A sharp pain lanced through her throat, she coughed up bits of apple coated in blood.

Poison.

After that everything seemed to happen all at once.

A searing burning sensation began to run through her, her body seized up momentarily. Every muscle locking and spasming as it reacted to the poison.

The apple fell from her hand, rolling forward, coming to a stop as it struck her brothers foot.

“Bella.” Stiles’ voice cracked as he stared in horror at his elder sister.

She collapsed.

Her body began to convulse as the poison began to spread through her, attacking her body with avengeance.

She could feel the ever present humming of the lightning that flowed through her veins slowly burn out as it tried to attack the poison to no avail.

She could hear her brother, father, and Melissa all screaming at her. Their desperate cries echoing in the woods. Before they could reach her she shot to her feet, turned towards the dark woods and _ran_.

**_They couldn’t see what would happen next._ **

\---

She stumbled to a stop, body slamming into a tree. Shaking hands gripped the rough bark of the tree, blood pouring out of fresh wounds.

A scream tore it’s way through her throat, morphing in the air into a shriek.

All throughout Beacon Hills heads whipped up at the sound, a chill crawling up their spines. People who sat in the comfort of their own homes, those who were shopping, or even those who were walking through the town; enjoying the cool crisp night air. All movement in Beacon Hills came to a stop.

It was a dragon’s shriek.

A scream of pure rage and pain and heartache.

They say those how could draw such a scream from a dragon would never live to tell the tale.

Belladonna tried to swallow, throat struggling to obey. Her throat raw from screaming. Her clawed hands tore into the Earth as she writhed in pain. A new wave of pain hit her, tearing another scream from her. Tears poured down her face as she struggled to her feet once more, limbs feeling heavy.

A part of her still couldn’t process the betrayal.

Poisoned by those she considered family.

And with an apple of all things.

How messed up was that?

_Fairy tale ending indeed._

_**SNAP** _

Belladonna stared at her hand in horror as the bones in it began to shift, a coat of scales covering the tender flesh.

Dragon Heart.

The one poison in the world that could easily take down a dragon.

She stumbled through the woods of Beacon Hills, flinching as she heard Scott’s and and the other werewolves angry shouts echoing through the woods.

Good, let them search. They’ll never find her.

Never...

_**“You’ve got guts kid, that I must admit...too bad guts won’t save you now.”** _ The Nogitsune’s dark chuckle echoed throughout her mind.

_‘Not now, fox.’_

_**“Now’s a perfect time for us to chat. We’re dying remember? Now’s a good as time as any.”** _

 The shadows began to shift as a tiny fox emerged from them. It's silver eyes staring coolly at her, a sharp contrast to the sharp feral grin it sent her.

_‘I should have let you obliterate the McCall Pack when I had the chance. And now I’m paying for it. Happy? Is that what you wanted to hear?’_

The Nogitsune remained silent.

“That’s what I thought.” She choked out.

She wished she had been able to completely seal the damn fox into the small kits body. The only way for the sealing spell to work was with a host that was already alive.

So she compromised.

She sealed it into the kits body and then tied it to her shadow. So it was connected to her life and it now had no choice. It had to fight to keep her alive.

Head cocking to the side she studied the fox as her body swayed. That's when she realized, the small tremors running through the fox.

The poison was affecting him as well.

She held out an arm, her less injured one, picked the fox up by his scruff and settled him into her arms.

**_"How humiliating."_** The tiny fox shifted, burying his nose into the crook of her arm.

Her magic seeped from her skin, flickering for a moment and suddenly burst forth in a wave of pure energy.

She could faintly feel the shift in the air as the Nemeton reacted to her distress. Shifting the very land, the trees began to move and the path widened. She tried not to cry when the trees began to groan, they could feel her distress. As she moved forward the trees began to slam into place behind her, the ground shaking as they did so.

Tears sprung to her eyes as they fell upon the Nemeton. She stumbled her way towards the remains of the once powerful tree and fell on top of the stump careful of the tiny body in her arms.

She wouldn’t have made it on her own if the Nemeton and the trees hadn’t reacted to her magic.

The Nogitsune squirmed out of her weak grip and curled up on the flat top of the once ancient tree. 

Tears spilled forth from her eyes, trickling onto the Nemeton underneath her. Shaky hands pressed against the smooth wood heaving a trembling body into a more comfortable position.

Belladonna settled against the roots of the Nemeton with a pained grunt. She tried to even out her breathing, it proved to be useless.

The poison was running through her entire body now. She wouldn’t be able to do much else.

The slow burning cold fire trickled through her body, just getting here had sent the poison flowing faster through her.

The faint hiss of moving leaves filled the air as the wind kicked up; it sent stray leaves spinning all around her and with another gust up into the sky. The groaning of wood filled the air once more as the trees shifted once more, opening up the sky for her to see.

Her eyes sought out the dragon constellation, Draco. The constellation that had watched over the first Red as she died...and now it would watch over her as she died.

She had run from the only three concerned members of her family because she knew...This poison had no cure.

She didn’t want them to see her die.

_'Not like mom.'_

“Draco...what do I do? Where did I go wrong?” Her tears renewed as she keep her gaze locked onto Draco.

A new wave of pain flared through her as the poison began to attack her with vengeance. With a shimmer of raw magic she was left in her draconic form.

Another shriek echoed throughout California, going out from Beacon Hills and outwards. In her draconic form her roar could be heard from over thirty miles.

Darkness finally claimed her.

The small black fox crawled towards the dragon, curling up against the large head. Shivers wracked it's body.

\---

As Belladonna's roar echoed the McCall pack froze in their argument. This roar was louder and full of pain. As the sound died out they began to relax, Stiles swinging out his fist as they were all distracted.

Scott hit the ground hard.

“If she- If she-” He swallowed, biting back tears. “If she dies... I won’t ever forgive you.”

Stiles stumbled back into his father's arms, both of them clinging to each other tightly.

Everyone tensed as a roar echoed once more, this one sounded different. Another roar joined it, then another, and another, and another until the very air seemed to vibrate from the force of the roars.

Mellissa and the Sheriff’s eyes met.

This didn’t bode well.

\---

Five roars echoed throughout California. The ground trembled and the trees groaned. Panicked cries echoed throughout the land. The waves slammed into the shore, anyone on the beach ran away in a panic. The sky darkened with thunder clouds as magic sensed one of it’s children dying.

All of California was left in a panic.

\---

Belladonna woke with a start, wincing at the brightness of the sun. She flinched as pain coursed through her body once again. This time she didn’t scream.

Her voice was gone.

Her watch began to beep. Her eyes darted to the watch to see how long she’d been out for.

‘It’s been twenty four hours already? Great...only four more days to go.’

It was funny...she wished she could laugh. Poisoned by those she called family. And no...regular poison wasn’t enough for them. They had to go and pick the most deadly of all poisons, Dragon Heart. The only thing that could kill a dragon.

She wasn’t a fool, she’d read up on it...call it a morbid sense of curiosity if you will. She had come across it and had wanted to know more. Just in case...

One could never be too careful, you know?

Too bad in this case...being careful wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.

There was no cure for this particular poison. It’s why it’d been created in the first place. It’s how the original full blooded dragon’s had been wiped out. It was a most cruel and torturous death.

The poisoned in question would suffer for five days before death would take them. The poison was a slow burn, it would quickly spread throughout your body and then slowly kill you.

No one could ever survive and there was no cure.

Firstly, the poison would reduce you to your draconic form, then shut down your body, until the only things functioning were your senses and organs.

Day two...the pain would be so great that it would be all you know.

Day three, your magic would slowly die out and the part that made you human would die, leaving you with pure dragon blood running through your veins.

Day four is where the real fun begins...Hallucinations. Hallucinations that were so real that some said that real damage was inflicted upon the body. And once the hallucinations begin...

By the fifth day you were completely paralyzed and organ failure would begin. First the kidneys, then it would move its way out to the other organs. The heart and brain were always the last to go.

Death obviously follows shortly after.

The final sign before death takes the victim are tears of blood.

_‘Damn them. Why’d I have to come back to Beacon Hills? I should have just let this city burn. I should have let them **all burn.** ’_

\---

Stiles, Melissa, and the Sheriff had been looking for Belladonna for nearly five days now.

Needless to say, there was no sign of her anywhere.

Scott had been thoroughly chewed out by the three. Scott along with the rest of his pack were forced into isolation.

Stiles sat in the sheriff’s office, energy spent. Dry tear tracks marked his face as he lay his head on the desk. His hands played with a neatly wrapped package that had appeared on his desk earlier that morning.

He was too scared to open it.

He’d broken up with Derek, angry that he’d been part of the plan to poison his sister. He hasn’t spoken to anyone else in the pack. They’d all gone behind his back to plan thi-this...betrayal.

A knock startled him out of his thoughts.

Whiskey brown eyes darted up to meet vibrant green.

It was the new deputy...

Parrish, his nametag read.

“How you holding up?”

“I’m alright. As much as someone who’s been possessed by an evil spirit whose sister was poisoned by his best friend can be. You know, the usual.”

“...You’re an odd one.”

“That’s what everyone sa-”

“I like it.” A small smirk graced Parrish’s features. “Jordan Parrish, we haven’t officially met.”

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. Being possessed makes meeting new people a bitch.”

Silence descended in the office.

"My sister would have like you!" Stiles blurted out.

It was true though, Bells would have been quite taken with the deputy. He'd definitely have to introduce them when they found her. They'd find her.

They had to.

\---

Belladonna smiled, bloody tears pouring out of her eyes as she drew in a shaky breath.

Belladonna drew her final breath, Friday, October 13 2013. At the moon's highest peak.

She died alone, yet she died smiling.

_'Vengeance will be. **Mine**.'_ The air whispered.

\---

_**“We’re too late.”** _

_**“What do we do now?”**_   Five shadows gathered around the Nemeton.

**_“Does it look like I know Carlin?”_ **

**_“Hey, you don’t need to bite my head off-”_ **

**_“That’s enough you two. Now isn’t the time to argue.”_ **

**_“Well, if you're gonna start barking orders, what do we do?”_ **

_**“We’ll head back to the Main House. The Elders will know what to do.”**_ The others nodded in agreement.

The one identified as Carlin threw a hand up, sending her magic towards the blood soaked Nemeton. Clearing the area of any and all evidence, Belladonna’s body was gone.

Someone else had gotten here first.

\---

As Belladonna had drawn her last breath, a Banshee began to wail in the Sheriff's station.

Jordan Parrish held onto a screaming and crying Stiles as he stared at Lydia in disbelief.

Lydia was screaming Belladonna’s name.

“NO! NOT MY SISTER! NOT BELLS! PLEASE!”


	8. The Burning Pyre

_“But grief makes a monster out of us sometimes . . . and sometimes you say and do things to the people you love that you can't forgive yourself for.” -Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road_

 

The darkness pressed all around her, it swam across her vision darkening everything. She could hear shouts and Clara’s whine filled the air. All she could feel was pain and anger and fear. Gods the fear was suffocating!

Someone was screaming and she felt like it was her own scream that she could hear or it might be someone else.

The darkness reclaimed her and she welcomed it.

\---

Belladonna wandered along the darkened corridors of her mind. She’d learned to tap into the dream plane of her mind a long time ago, it was one of the first things she learned to do.

It was an easy way to sort herself out. A safe haven, if you will.

It’s part of the reason why Red’s were so in control of their more...monstrous half.

She walked towards the center of the giant room, gold and jewels of all sorts covered the ground. She shifted her balance as coins slipped beneath her feet. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried not to cry. She struggled to breath properly.

Her dragon self was gone.

_Smaug_ was gone.

She laughed. It was a broken and hysterical sounding thing. She was broken, nothing left but a burnt out shell. She had no purpose, no magic, and no dragon.

“I give up. I give up. IgiveupIgiveupIgiveupIgiveup! Screw everyone! Screw destiny! Screw all of you who’ve made me suffer!” She hit the ground, coins scattering upon impact.

"The world can burn for all I care!" She clutched her head as tears streamed down her face.

Everything around her was set ablaze, the drumming of thunder rumbling in the distance. Everything began to burn away.

Her laughter continued to echo throughout the burning halls.

\---

Belladonna groaned, everything was fuzzy. Her mouth felt as if it were full of cotton and her jaw cracked as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Don't move, little one. A lot has happened while you were asleep." She could feel a hand lightly push on her shoulder.

Everything started to slow down and the darkness began to lift.

"Ama?" Something wasn't right... What was it?

Oh, right.

Her life was fucking over, she was dead.

She opened her eyes, pools of green and blue met the dark night sky.

Standing on strong legs she moved towards the scent of food. It was a scent that she hadn't run into in years. The sweet scent of cinnamon and suger filled the air, mingling with the scent of cooking meat. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation of the delectable scents her nose was picking up.

It reminded her of her childhood, the good days that her grandmother let her stay with her grandfather.

"Mmmmm..." She sniffed. "Churros..."

Another sniff. "Tacos...tamales."

Her stomach rumbled at the familiar smells. Fond memories, teasing at the edge of her mind. It was a time full of laughter and smiles.

She sniffed as she walked up the hill, as she reached the crest of the hill her eyes widened. Light cut through the dark, tall buildings stood proudly reaching for the sky.

And then she heard it, music drifting on the wind.

"Hola mija."

"Abuelo?"

\---

The next time Belladonna awoke, her head felt...less hazy. Were her ears full of cotton? Everything sounded muted. It’s awful. Add the pain that seemed to be the only thing she felt and everything was not awesome.

The pain was unbearable but she’d endured worse, she'd live. Though back then she’d had her draconic magic healing her at a fast rate. Faster than a werewolf's meager healing rate.

She blinked, greens eyes immediately looking around and taking in the surroundings. Mentally taking stock of any and all injuries, she took in her surroundings. The steady beeping of her heart monitor filled the air.

Ugh how she hated heart monitors.

She wasn’t going to try and fool herself, she knew what was happening to her body. The poison that...that that mutt had given her had destroyed her. She was powerless and reduced to nothing more than average human, her dragon half was lost to her. She couldn’t even feel the bloodthirsty dragon’s presence in her mind.

There was only silence.

Oh, how she wanted to rage and destroy anything she could get her hands on. Life wasn’t kind. And it most certainly not fair.

‘Well...' She sighed, repressing a shudder. 'No point in delaying the inevitable. Time to see the damage.’

She moved one leg, then the other. She paused, brow furrowing. Her left leg felt off... She did the same with her arms, starting with her left and moving onto her right. She paused as she tried moving her right arm. Something was wrong. Her heart began to race, the once steady beeping of her heart monitor increasing in turn. Using her left arm she grasped the glaring white bed sheets and ripped them off.

Eyes widening in horror, she swallowed the scream that threatened to tear its way through her throat. She failed in keeping quiet as an angry mournful scream tore through her as she released all her pent up emotions.

Her chest constricted as she took in the sight of what are now stumps instead of strong, healthy limbs. From a bit past her shoulder her arm was gone. Her entire shoulder wrapped up in bandages. Bandages wrapped what was left of her left leg, the bandages starting at her hip. Her vision swam as she struggled to breath. It'd been years since she had a panic attack.

What with losing an entire arm and leg she felt justified in _having_ one.

_She’d like to see anyone else fare better._

The door burst open as women in red cloaks swept into the room. Her eyes snapped to the door, pools of green focused on the cloaked women, eyes darting from one person to the next.

Belladonna glared at the one that seemed to be the leader of the group.

_**"Remember."**_ She tilted her head in consideration. _**"Nihil verum est! Omnia licent!"**_

In the blinking of an eye the cloaked women were replaced by men in gaudy looking green uniforms.

_'I'm losing my mind.'_

The poison had messed her up more than she'd realized, the hallucinations still lingered. Studying the soldiers, she focused on what was real. Her eyes fell onto the small patch on the men's uniforms. It was a black symbol with a red background, she blinked at the sheer oddness of the symbol.

_'What the hell kind of military branch has an octopus with a skull?'_

"Who the hell are you?" She barked out instead.

There was no answer.

Only the clicking of shoes coming from the hallway answered her. Belladonna glared at the soldiers, they were unnerving her but she wouldn't show it. She had enough of showing her emotions.

Moments later, a short man came into the room. Pushing up his glasses he gave her a small smile.

Yeah, her skin definitely crawled.

Something about this man set every warning off in her head. Particularly the ‘get the hell away from the creepy looking mad scientist’ one.

"Hello, miss. My name is Zola. Welcome, I do hope you enjoy your stay.” He nodded to the soldiers.

As one they circled the bed, pushing her back into the mattress. She struggled against them, frustration boiling in her veins at her own weakened state. Working quickly once the fight went out of her body, they used thick leather straps to strap her down. As the soldiers marched back to the creepy mutant dwarf, she tossed a glare towards them.

As soon as she recovers, she’ll kill them.

Zola and two soldiers came towards her, the soldiers holding her down as Zola injected her with what was most likely a cocktail of drugs. The two soldiers returned to their formation and as one they clicked their heels.

“Hail Hydra...” Zola pushed his glasses up. The soldiers tossed both arms up, in some weird version of a Natzi salute.

**"HAIL HYDRA!"**

_'Oh fuck me, they're Natzis.'_

_...And here she was hoping they were going to start chanting there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home._

\---

_Hawaii_

_Main Red House_

A palm smacked against a mahogany table, the wood groaning in protest.

"That's unacceptable! There's no way Bella could have left on her own!"

The Council of Red stared down at the young Reds. 

"She was weak, she must have abandoned her pack and cut ties with us."

"How else could she have disappeared?"

Carlin glared at the council.

"Belladonna trained me. She taught me everything I know. There's no way she would have easily abandoned her pack, let alone her brother and father."

"She abandoned them once, she could do it again."

Carlin drew herself up, eyes steeling in anger.

"That's different and you know it." She hissed. "Plus, she was calling for help. She was in pain, scared...If you heard her Dragon Shriek we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Yeah!" The other Reds piped up.

Glancing at each other, then nodding as one the council turned back to the younglings.

"Very well, we will grant you this."

"Your mission is to find and bring back the Red known as Belladonna Stilinski and return her here."

"You may use what resources you need from the Main House."

"Yes!" Carlin pumped her fist in the air.

Her joy was short lived.

"But use caution young one." The frailest looking of the matriarchs finally spoke. "For I fear the Belladonna you will find will not be the one you wish to see. I sense much has changed in our Belladonna. You might not like what you find..."

The Reds all looked at each other. If grandmother Anette said it, then...

What exactly happened to Belladonna in Beacon Hills?


	9. Love and Loss

_“The human life is made up of choices._

_Yes or no. In or out. Up or down._

_And then there are the choices that matter._

_Love or hate. To be a hero or to be a coward._

_To fight or to give in. To live. Or die._

_Live or die. That’s the important choice._

_And it’s not always in our hands.” -Grey’s Anatomy_

 

When Belladonna next awoke the pain in her shoulder and leg was dulled down to a dull throbbing. Her body was still weak, which considering her dragon half was gone...

It came as no surprise.

Belladonna remained silent as the scientist, Zola she reminded herself, drew her blood.

_'What the hell kind of name is that anyways? Zola...bleh'_

She let her mind wander as she stared at the shiny metal arm and leg that replaced her flesh and blood ones. She tried keeping her thoughts directed away from her new limbs, otherwise she’d have started screaming.

Again.

Belladonna dutifully ignored the twinge of pain in her heart.

It had taken her a while to realize it, her wings were gone. Just like that. Thanks to her so called brother and his mangy pack of cubs. She’d been so distracted by the loss of her limbs that she forgot that she’d lost her draconic half.

By poisoning her, they ended up taking away the one thing that had made life bearable for her. Flight.

She’d never fly again. She’d never feel the wind as it whipped her body as she hit her top speed. She’d never fly through a storm and test her limits again.

She was beyond saving. Her freedom was ripped away from her and something in her had shattered.

She tried not to cry as the memory of staring at the raw burning twin scars that ran parallel down her back, where her wings would have been, flashed through her mind.

Blinking back tears she ran through her mental checklist.

_'Thank the heavens Ama is a paranoid old bat.'_

1\. Keep calm, never show true weakness.

2\. Gather any and all intel.

3\. Assess your surroundings, find any viable way out.

4\. Know your enemy.

5\. Destroy any and all threats. Especially if they threaten your pack.

Pack...

Her thoughts darkened at the thought of her once upon a time pack.

She'd lost her family... She wouldn’t be allowed to protect them anymore. A new Red would be sent to protect them most likely.

No more puppy piles...no more baking the pack treats and cooking for them. All of it. It was gone...

_'What's the point? Why fight these creeps? Why should I keep trying? It'll only lead to more pain. So, why..? Why try?’_

The entire checklist seemed to fade from her mind as she sat and stared blankly at the wall. Her decision finally made. She’d be their experiment.

She had nothing else. She had _no one_ else.

She winced as a sharp and violent tug on her heart made itself known. Her head swung in the direction of the pull for a split second.

“What is it?” Zola said, his deep Germanic accent almost...adorable. You know, in a crazy as hell mad scientist kind of way.

“Nothing. My head just hurt for a second.” When in doubt..lie. Lie your ass off. The Stilinski family motto.

Zola stared at her, eyes searching her for any hint of a lie she assumed. Blinking he went back to work, filling the last vial with blood and sending it all off to who knows where.

Eventually Zola left the room and Belladonna was left to once again stew in her thoughts. Her mind focused on the damn near unbearable tugging on her heart. It wasn’t her soulmate, that she knew for sure.

Everything still felt muted and hazy, the only real pain registering was that damnable tug of whoever it was.

If she were completely honest she’s always hated the idea of a soulmate. She hated not having control of her life like that. Most of her decisions have been made for her and it would seem this one was made for her too.

She lived in reality, the very idea of a soulmate is _ridiculous_. Just the very idea that people let you grow up thinking you’re going to meet the one person that’ll complete you in every way?

_‘C’mon give me a break. It’s all utterly childish and foolish.’_

At least she couldn’t feel her soul mate, even if some part of her was starting to freak out. At this point though she had more pressing matters to think about.

This new feeling though, it was almost like...pack but, _not_ pack. It was slightly different. Did that even make sense? You'd have to forgive her thought process, these were some good drugs.

Her mind seemed to get fuzzy once more as what little magic she’d had in her fizzled out. Everything was so...twisted and jumbled together she couldn’t think.

_‘What kind of fraking drugs do they got me on? I want more.’_

“I’s nice...” She wanted more of this drug. It helped numb the pain.

She shook her head and focused on the new tugging on her heart, eyes once again drawn towards the door. She blinked, eyelids beginning to feel heavy. Shaking her head to keep herself awake she forced back a yawn.

Before she knew it, she was asleep, the now welcoming darkness enveloped her in a sweet embrace of nothing.

\---

Belladonna was no more.

Eris has risen.

_**“Chaos has come again...”** _

_**\---** _

"Carl...this is ridiculous! How are we going to find her?"

"I don't know but we have to try." Carlin tried not to snap at her sister. "Let's just start at the Nemeton and go from there."

A beat of silence and then, "Fine. Let's head to the Nemeton girls!"

Summoning a portal, they pulled up their hoods and headed towards what is hopefully a clue to the whereabouts of their missing Red.

\---

"Don't even think about it. I know you mean well but she doesn't even remember meeting us."

"Perhaps if I just speak to her she could remember."

"I wish the world worked like that but it doesn't she must do this on her own."

"Very well, Altair."

"Thank you Ezio. Now let's join our family for that feast, eh?" Altair looked around the street. "Ezio? Ezio!"

Ezio was gone, presumably to help their descendant.

"If I weren't dead already I might just die again."


	10. What Once Was Mine...

_“What happened, happened. Dwelling on it won’t change a thing. It’s time to let go and reclaim your peace.”- Mandy Hale_

Belladonna pulled into Paisley’s driveway, thankfully it was summer so her parents were letting her take it to train Paisley.

She’d met Paisley during her travels before she wandered over to Central city. It’d been when she’d been so consumed with vengeance upon Hydra that she’d lost focus entirely. Paisley was young and she saw the world the way Belladonna herself used to see it.

Paisley was an outsider to the family yet she’d been chosen as a Red. The magic wouldn’t have chosen her without a reason.

Paisley had a great destiny ahead of her.

Belladonna just hoped that she could prepare her for everything she would one day face. She didn’t want Paisley to suffer as she had. She’d prefer no one to suffer like that.

No matter how horrible they were.

Tossing her head back and singing along to the music, Belle blared the car horn three times.

_**“I'm like evil I get under your skin! Just like a bomb that's ready to blow! Cause I'm illegal!”** _

Paisley darted out of her house, a backpack hanging off her arm and a grin lighting her face.

Paisley opened the door,”Hi Belle!”

“Hi Pai-” “HOLD THAT THOUGHT!” Belladonna flinched as Paisley tossed her bag into the car and ran back into her home.

“Uh...Oookay?” Belladonna blinked multiple times, head slowly turning back to look forward.

Belle’s fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel. Being around people again was going to be...weird. To say the least. She was so used to the isolation that she actually prefered it to company.

She glanced at the bright morning sky, biting back a sigh she redirected her gaze back at the Irving Household.

She canted her head, listening in on what was going on inside. Paisley’s chaotic nature was at the center of the household. Paisley's bright cheery voice bringing a small smile to Belle’s face as she heard her parents concern for their daughter.

**_“CAW CAW!”_ **

Belladonna flinched violently at the sound, head whipping back and forth to find the creature making the sharp, painful sound.

A sharp pain suddenly lanced through her head, her metal hand pressing against it in an effort to use the coolness of the metal to calm the oncoming migraine. Her eyes blurred and she saw a shadowy figure in the corner of her eye, the shrill whistle of a tea kettle sent her head spinning.

Belladonna pressed a hand to her mouth in an effort to not throw up. She’d rather not have to clean up the Jeep’s interior thank you very much.

“Bells?” Belle turned towards the passenger's side of the car.

Watery green eyes, met cool green. Paisley placed her hand onto Belle’s shoulder. Everything seemed to snap back into place and the pain and nausea were gone.

“I’m fine. I’m fine. Just a small headache is all.” She blinked rapidly, smiling at Paisley. ”So, you got everything now?”

“Yup!” She grinned. “Let’s go!”

“Seatbelt, then we go.”

“Aw...”

“Seatbelt. Or no go.”

“Fine...” She grumbled as she put on her seatbelt.

Belle waited patiently as Paisley grudgingly put her seatbelt on. Belladonna reached for the key, placing it in the ignition, she paused...head canting to the side in thought.

“Bells?”

Sharp green eyes focused on Paisley with a laser like precision. It took everything in Paisley not to flinch back, she gulped.

“Before we leave I just want to ask you something...” Shaky hands clenched the steering wheel.

“Yeah..? C’mon Bells. What is it? You’re freaking me out.”

“Can you call me Victor?”

“Victor? I-I..I don’t understand? Why do you want me to call you that?”

Inhaling deeply, Victor began to explain as clearly and as carefully as he could. “I’m not...Ugh. It’s hard to explain but I’ll do my best. Yeah?”

He shifted uncomfortably in the seat.

“I’m what you would call _genderfluid_. It took me a hell of a long time to realize this mind you.” He blew a frustrated sigh. “Took me even longer to accept it...”

Paisley remained silent, her attention settled on Victor.

“Being genderfluid means that I’m..tha- It means that sometimes I feel like a girl and sometimes I feel like a boy. And at other times I’m sort of... inbetween. So to speak. I’m still me, it’s just that I’ve come to fully accept that, even by Red standards, I’m not normal.” Her fingers tapped out a nervous beat on the steering wheel.

Victor ran a hand through his long blue hair, trying to mask the fact that his hands were shaking.

“So...” Paisley paused, lips pursing in thought. “So do I just call you Victor from now on? Or do you still go by Belladonna?”

A nervous laugh escaped him, ”No..you can call me Victor on my male days and Yuri on my female days or Vic if you’re not sure.”

“Why did you want a new name?”

“Partly because I wanted a new start to my life. Belladonna suffered so much and was so angry for so long. I need to- not I want to let it go. I can’t live like that.”

“And the other reason?” Paisley pressed.

“I...I’m not her anymore. Hearing people call me that..it hurts. Because anyone I told about this would still press to call me by something that isn’t me anymore. Maybe at one point I used to be okay because I didn’t know myself as anyone else. But now... Now I can’t imagine going back and hiding behind that facade. Because in the end that’s all Belladonna was... She was what I needed everyone to see me as. The perfect daughter, friend, lover, weapon...I can’t do that to myself. Especially not knowing what I know now. It’s hard to explain but when I realized I was genderfluid it was like...”

"It’s- you know I was always awkward growing up. Once I started going to college I felt like some days I could put on makeup, do my hair and in general be a badass bitch?”

Paisley nodded, “Yeah. I remember the day we first met. You were like...so awesome!”

Victor chuckled,” Yeah well, wanna know a secret? The day we met? Was a horrible day for me. It took so much effort to put on makeup let alone do anything with my hair. I felt so disgusting and I felt like a stranger in my own skin.”

“Wow..I-I didn’t realize...Why do you feel like that some days?”

“Well, days like that are my male days. Back then I didn’t realize that’s what it was. It’s kind of funny now...looking back on it. How a lot of things that made me uncomfortable one day never bothered me that next.”

Paisley watched the emotions playing over Bell-no...Paisley shook her head. She watched the emotions play over Victor’s face as she..wait. “Hey Victor?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you still a girl?”

Victor blinked,“Biologically speaking... yes. Why?”

Paisley violently shook her head. “No! That’s not what i meant. I mean...When I’m talking about you or talking to you do I call you a she or a he?”

“Oh...” Victor smiled, tears filling his eyes. “Either one. It really depends on how I’m feeling really. But you can stick with male days I’m a he and female days I’m a she.”

“Okay.” Paisley frowned. “Wait. But what if I don’t know what kinda day it is?”

“Hm...Well you can either ask to which I’d prefer to be called or if you’re unsure and can’t ask you can use they, them, theirs.”

“Okay!” Paisley bounced in her seat. “Well what are we waiting for Victor? Let’s go to Disneyland!!!!”

Victor set the car into motion as soon as Paisley clicked her seatbelt on. He turned up the music as soon as they pulled out of the neighborhood. Paisley hummed along as she stuck her hand out the window, relishing in the feel of the wind.

“Just warning you now, training to be a Red isn’t easy. It’s gonna be... lonely.” Belle’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Really lonely.”

“I know. But...I want to help people, before we first met I’d always felt like I was meant for something more than ju-. That there was more for me than just going to school and getting married one day.”

“I dunno... That kind of life sounds nice.” Paisley stilled, bright green eyes that were always full of life watered as she turned her gaze out the window. “Is that what you want? To just become someone’s wife and become a mother? Don’t you want more?”

Paisley had a lot to learn. The life of a Red wasn’t easy... But she was sure she could train her to be fully prepared. She wouldn’t let Paisley fall the way she had.

“Naw. That kind of life was never for me. Never wanted it.” He forced a grin as he guided the car towards the gas station.

Victor ignored the feeling of wrongness that ate away at him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t...right. He suppressed a shudder as he cut the engine.

“Go ahead and grab whatever snacks or drinks you want. It’s gonna be a long drive.” Victor tossed a wad of bills in Paisley’s general direction.

Paisley caught it, though Victor was sure she didn't mean to use her face to do so.

“M’kay!” Paisley bounded over to the store muttering to herself about needing to pee. Victor was pretty sure Paisley forgot that he could hear really well.

_“CRAP!”_ Sounds like she just remembered.

Victor chuckled as he filled up the gas tank, he carefully cleaned the windows while he was waiting for the tank to finish filling.

**_“TONY!”_ **

Victor paused mid stroke, the rubber of the squeegee squeaking at the sudden jolt. His body tensing at the sheer panic of the voice crying out. The voice sounded eerily similar. Another shiver crawled up his spine, the unsettling feeling curling deep in his gut.

**_“HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! He’s dying!”_ **

Quickly straightening Vic glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

That voice... It sounded-

**_“It’s okay. It’s okay..”_** It was a man’s voice. _ **“Promise me something?”**_

_**“Jus- Just hold on okay?”** _ Her own voice again.

**_“Take care of them for me? Please. I beg you.”_** A wet sounding cough accompanied the statement.

The blare of a car horn jolted Vic into awareness and he jerked the car wheel sharply to the side. Heart racing, he steadied the car, tossing a glance at Paisley. He breathed a sigh of relief as the sight of Paisley curled up in the front seat greeted him.

She was still asleep.

Heart clenching, his eyes filled with tears. Something wasn’t right... He...

He was losing time.

One second he’d be doing one thing and the next he was somewhere else completely. It set his instincts on edge.

His chest tightened at the thought of not being in control of his life. Hydra had found him at his most vulnerable and used his pain to kill a lot of people. More often than not they were innocent.

At that time he didn’t care who Hydra set his sights on. He tore through his targets with a glee that made Hydra proud.

He truly was a monster.

He wouldn’t hide it, no. No more hiding who he was. No more pretending.

Even before Hydra, he was a monster. Born and bred for one purpose. To fight until his last breath. After everything that’s happened, he wants to decide for himself, to choose his own destiny.

To change his fate...

To become his own person.

Part of him longed to return to Beacon Hills, patrol the land and watch over it’s people. The other part wished to explore the world. To travel and not know where he wa going next.

He felt as if he were being torn apart, he didn’t know which way to turn.

It hurt.

Which was worrisome in and of itself.

Red’s weren’t human for a reason. In order to do what they did to protect mankind it took a whole new level of beast to accomplish just a tiny bit of what they must do.

And life isn’t without suffering.

Vic knew that fact better than most.

Red’s were born to withstand pain. Physical, emotional, and spiritual pain would knock them down as it did to everyone else. And just like anything precious and beautiful Red’s withstood so much. Like gems they withstand both heat and pressure to transcend their ordinary form for something extraordinary.

Sometimes all it took was a bit of polishing to remove the deep cracks to reveal a beautiful gem where once a seemingly ordinary stone stood.

Swallowing as they finally reached Beacon Hills, he straightened.

The Welcome to Beacon Hills sign glinted at him mockingly as they drove past. His hands clenched onto the wheel, nails sharpening into claws. Taking a deep breath in he retracted his claws.

“I thought I lost you.” Her father's voice spoke in her ear, hot tears spilling onto her neck.

Victor rapidly blinked, taking in his surroundings.

_‘Wait...What?’_ His eyes darted around the room.

Pulling back he stared at his father. He had just been in the Jeep barely entering Beacon Hills and now he was with his father?

_‘What’s going on?’_ A sob drew his attention back to his papa.

The sheriff's arms tightened around Victor. Breathing in deep, his body relaxed as his father's scent finally hit him. Tears burned his eyes as he let all the confusion go.

“Papa...” He held onto his father as if the world was ending.

\---

Life had been pretty great for Victor since he returned to Beacon Hills. He’d reconciled with his family and the pack. Paisley had excelled in her training, taking to it like she’d been training her whole life.

Victor was just grateful Paisley didn’t have to go through the kind of training he had to go through. That wasn’t for anyone.

It was too horrific to even think about.

“You alright?” Yuri glanced up from the Book of Hearts she’d been reading.

Jordan Parrish’s bright eyes stared back at her. Her heartbeat quickened and her knees felt weak. Even after a year of being married, her husband never failed to make her feel like a lovestruck teenager.

She grinned,”Yeah, just lost in my thoughts is all.”

Warm green eyes clashed with icy green ones. After being poisoned by her family, her eye color had changed. The once inviting forest green eyes became an frosted green with sharp golden flecks amongst the cool color.

She didn’t know what to think of the change. It was odd and she didn’t know what to make of it.

“Belle?” She’d chosen to go by Belle once she returned to Beacon Hills because she knew no one would understand her being genderfluid.

Most people couldn’t handle transgendered people, they wouldn’t understand her gender fluidity.

“Huh? Sorry, just got lost in my head again.” Jordan stared at her for a long moment, biting back a sigh.

Jordan shrugged, holding a hand out to Yuri. Accepting the gesture, his warm hand closed around hers. The constant itch at the back of her mind that something was off resurfaced.

“What’s up?” Jordan blinked at her, then sighed.

Her heart sank, she’d disappointed him, again. She must have forgotten something. How could this keep happening?

_‘ **Why** does this keep happening?’_

“We were supposed to be at the pack meeting twenty minutes ago.”

Belladonna felt sick at the disappointed tone in his voice. She put that there and she didn’t know how to fix it. Hell, she didn’t even know what was going on with her in the first place.

**_“SURPRISE!”_ ** Belladonna flinched back, barely stopping herself from unleashing her magic.

A quick glance confirmed her suspicions, she’d lost more time.

She thought she’d learned to live with it, mostly. But lately it had become increasingly more difficult to handle. She began to lose time since before she returned to Beacon Hills.

She despised not knowing what was happening to her. Even the council couldn’t help her. They’d never heard of something like this happening.

She hated not knowing what was going on half the time, she hated doing one thing and next thing she knew she was somewhere else with no knowledge of how or when she had gotten there.

It was tiring. Not to mention it was downright pissing her off.

She was beginning to think none of this was real. A lot of things had tipped her off. People acting too cheery and really fake. Always. People were never that fucking happy. Never.

Especially her so called family, it was as if they were hiding something from her. The frowns they sent her way when they thought she wasn’t looking. The whispers behind her back.

She was beyond annoyed now.

Belle quickly slipped into the role of surprised birthday girl. No one noticed anything was amiss.

She forced a dazzling smile onto her face. If there was one thing she learned on her travels it was how to put on such a good act that no one could tell she was acting.

And they always fell for it, without fail.

She’d keep her eyes open for any clues as to what was going on. She couldn’t afford to miss anything anymore.

Letting herself be swept away and into the party she relaxed as the beat of the music reverberated through her. An hour into the party she glanced around, trying to find her husband.

She swallowed against the sudden burning in her throat as her gaze fell onto Lydia and Jordan. Her heart sank and she suddenly _**knew...**_ And her heart was breaking all over again.

They were looking at each other as if they were the only ones in the room, hell, as if they were the only ones in the universe. And it _hurt_ so damn much to see them look at eachother like that.

That should be her in Lydia’s place! She should be the one Jordan is looking at as if she were the most precious thing in all of creation.

And that’s the real kicker, wasn’t it? They were _seeing_ each other, she was being cheated on.

Tears filled her eyes as she slipped away into a shaded area and blended with the shadows. Cold green eyes flicked towards Paisley and her heart broke for the poor girl. She was watching Stiles, as he stared at the scene before them all.

A discreet sniff, confirmed the unshed tears in Paisley’s eyes. Since they’d arrived in Beacon Hills and Paisley had met Stiles, she’d seen it.

She’d seen the way Paisley simply lit up when she would so much as detect Stiles’ presence. And Stiles? Stiles would always push her away. He only had eyes for the Banshee. For Lydia.

A snarl escaped her, thankfully no one noticed.

A swell of righteous anger flowed through her, emotions that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Emotions that she had been deprived herself of for so long burst forward and she found it hard to breath.

As if feeling her emotional turmoil, the lovestruck pair turned their eyes towards her.

“Belle? You alright?” Jordan stepped towards her, concern wafting off his scent.

It disgusted her. Everything about them suddenly disgusted her. The distant sound of cracking glass stopped another snarl from escaping her.

All the puzzle pieces suddenly slotted into place and she wanted to scream. She may be back home and with her family but they weren’t really with her. They didn’t trust her, not even after everything she’d done for them. She’d sacrificed so much for them. Bled for them. Died for them.

_‘No more. No more! Nomorenomorenomorenomorenomore!’_ A scream tore it’s way past her lips, morphing into a roar.

The tell tale skree-onk filled the room.

Jordan flinched back as if burned. Which was really ironic if you asked her. Damn hellhound. Damn banshee! Damn them all! A deep, dark and primal part of her settled down slightly, preening as the other inferior creatures in the room recognized her power.

“ **NO!** Stay away from me!” Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath.

Ignoring the confused and scared voices she cried out,“I don’t want this! I want no part in this so called life! I despise it!”

“Don’t touch me!” She tore her arm free from Jordan’s grip, his claws tearing into her flesh. "I said stay away mutt!"

Bright blue flames rose up from her skin, the flames leapt at the hellhounds offending appendage. She tore herself away from the pack.

Turning her gaze skyward, tears filling her eyes she cried out. She’d reached her breaking point.

“I want nothing of this life! Do you hear me? I want none of it!” Her draconic voice bled through, the sound echoing all around the room.

Everyone jumped away from her, Jordan began to speak to her but she couldn’t listen. Not with the way her heart was pounding in her ears. A cracking sound filled the air, the sound of shattering glass followed as the ground caved underneath her.

Within a blink she was flying through a dark void. Streaks of color began to chase her and suddenly she was looking down at the Earth. Panic began to bubble within her as she looked upon the peaceful looking planet. A chill ran up her spine had her spinning around. Doing a one eighty she finally registered the warmth of the sun washing over her. The second thing she registered was a dark shadow racing towards her. She breathed deep, drawing air from where...she had no idea. Raising her head she directed her gaze towards the dark mass.

The darkness began to take shape, forming a large, purple being. She watched as he pulled on a golden gauntlet, different colored gems glittered and glowed. The gems whispered to her, humming with untold power.

A sudden sadness overtook her, her breathing quickened as tears began to stream down her face. She felt heavy all of a sudden.

The great being grinned wickedly, his fist swinging out and slamming straight into her. She flew back and began to fall as she was caught in Earth's orbit. Plummeting towards the towards the Earth she screamed.

The last thing she saw before passed through cold clouds was a vast armada, moving forward at the alien's command.

‘I’m so tired...’ The sound of something slicing through the air pulled her from her despair. Her hands came into contact with something solid, something...familiar. Hope tugged at her heart as her hand pushed against the material. She knew what it was without seeing it. Still, she opened her eyes.

A sob filled her ears as she stared at the magic mirror. “No...NO!”

She thrashed about until finally with one forceful push the mirror floated in front of her. The mirror began to swirl as the magic in it surged forth. A face appeared in the mirror.

“Why..?” She screamed at the golden hooded figure in the mirror. “WHY WOULD YOU SHOW ME THAT!?”

**_“To show you your fate if you so choose to follow the path to your return to Beacon Hills. Only despair, pain, and anguish will you find there.”_ **

“I don’t want it! I’d rather die again!” She closed her eyes, another sob shook her body.

**_“Then what is it that you want?”_ **

“I want to live! I want to choose happiness for myself! I want a family!”

_**“Then fight for what you seek. The past is the past. Let it go.”** _

The mirror flew past her and stopped beneath her.

_**“Only you have the power to change your fate.”** _

The mirror sped forward, stopping miles below her the surface a swirling vortex. She passed through the mirror head first, it felt like falling into water. It was familiar and comforting. She landed into a heap on the cold, unforgiving ground. Blinking up at the mirror, the golden figure of the man in the mirror gazed back at her.

“What do I do?”

**_“Keep moving forward. Go to the place where dreams come true and find the mad one. There you will find the answers you are searching for.”_ **

Gaze flitting about, dread curled deep in her stomach. Her pulse began to race, the once steady beat now a thunderous drumming in her ears. What had happened finally sunk in.

The icy green in her eyes bled into a burning gold and red. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to convince herself it was all real. Sure enough the cabin greeted her as she shot up to her feet. She felt as if she had been struck by lightning at the sight that greeted her. The Magic Mirror gleamed in the sunlight, the images of her family in Beacon Hills slowly faded away and Belle felt the strength drain from her. She’d never even left the cabin. It was all a just a lie...a vision conjured up by the mirror.

A roar tore it's way through her throat, this one was full of anguish. The windows trembled, then shattered; the floorboards shook and tore themselves free from the force of the roar. Magical items all throughout the cabin began lighting up in response to her cry.

She continued to roar, letting all of her emotions tear their way out of her. Her body shook as she finally let go of all her anger, her hate, and the ever lurking darkness inside of her. She collapsed as she ran out of strength to scream, throat raw. Chest heaving with the force of her gasps she curled up as tightly as possible.

She yanked off a glove as a burning sensation crawled up her arm. She watched as the inky black coloring her skin began crawling up her arm,black scales glinting at her. The inky blackness on her skin vanished.

She lay there for hours, occasionally glancing at the clock on the wall.

She’d never felt so alone.

It’s funny how one can be alone most of their lives and the pain of loneliness is never even a thought until you lose that loneliness. Whether it be you gain friends or even a new family. Then suddenly...you realize you’re happy and being around these people is the greatest thing in the world and you couldn’t ask for more.

That is, until one day it’s all taken from you and suddenly you’re all alone again.

Void.

She laughed, the irony wasn’t lost on her. Ever since she lost everything she held dear, a void has taken residence in her heart. This time she wasn’t too keen on letting anyone back into her heart so freely. Her eyes hardened and she pulled herself up, a cold determination filling her body. It ran through her veins like a toxic fire, curling through her veins.

**“Done moping are we?”** The Nogitsune padded it’s way to her. **“It’s about time.”**

She picked herself up off the floor, limbs heavy with sleep.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall...”She closed the distance between herself and the mirror.”Show me the _Disneyland_.”

_**“As you wish, my King.”** _


End file.
